Sonic Underground: The Continuation
by The Retro Dude
Summary: The unfinished story of Sonic Underground continues! Will the triplets find their mother? How will they defeat Robotnik? And what allies will they gain to help them along the way? Find out in this epic ongoing saga to free Mobius from a vile tyranny!
1. Enter: Miles Prower

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 ** _Sonic Underground: The Continuation_**

 **Season 3 Episode 1: Enter Miles Prower**

" _Mobius. A once peaceful planet full of amazing locations, and life that stayed in harmony. Until… Until he came…_ " – Queen Aleena Hedgehog

 _BOM._

A lakeside home was not the first place you'd think to find unpeaceful disturbances. And that was exactly what Amadeus Prower thought, gasping as he woke up in bed from the vibrations that shook the house. He shivered as the vibrations continued, with him fearing the worst. Quickly getting out of bed, he hurriedly stripped on his military uniform, and then opened the bedroom curtains.

"Oh No! It's them! They've arrived!" He cried.

"Who dear?" Asked Rosemary Prower, the wife of Amadeus, who'd also just woken up from the vibrations. "Who is it?!"

Amadeus gulped. "It's him! Doctor Robotnik! Straight on our doorstep! He must have discovered I'm part of the resistance!"

"OH NO!" Exclaimed Rosemary, she was worried that something like this would happen, especially after Robotnik had publicly declared war on the resistance. "Hurry honey, we must find Miles! We need to get out of here!" Amadeus continued.

Rosemary nodded. As the two frightened Mobian foxes ran to their son's room, they heard the voice of one of Robotnik's henchmen shouting at them from outside; "OPEN THE DOORS AMADEUS! WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER!"

"Hurry Rosemary!" Whispered Amadeus. "You get Miles! I'll hold 'em off!"

Once Amadeus ran down the stairs to the front door to confront Robotnik and his henchmen, Rosemary knocked on Miles' door. "Miles! Sweetie!" She called quietly. "Quick! Out of bed! We have to leave immediately!"

"Uh? Mother, what's going on? Are we under attack?" Came a groan from the room.

"No time to explain! Just meet me downstairs in the garage!"

Rosemary then rushed down into the garage, praying that Miles would be able to come down in time and escape with her and her husband.

"AMADEUS PROWER! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! SHOW YOURSELF, OR WE'LL BLAST DOWN THE DOOR!" Shouted the voice of Robotnik's henchman, Sleet.

"Over my dead body!" Muttered Amadeus as he picked up a pistol from his belt.

At last, Amadeus opened the door, to find the two main henchmen of Robotnik, Sleet and Dingo, waiting outside for him.

"Well, well, well. You finally decided to show yourself Prower. Now surrender!" Said Sleet in his usual cruel tone.

"Never!" Shouted Amadeus in rage, who pointed his pistol at the two henchmen.

But before he could fire, a laser hit the pistol causing it to explode in Amadeus' hands.

"Tut tut. Such an incompetent citizen we have here." Chuckled an evil voice from behind Sleet and Dingo. "But perhaps he and his family need to a Doctor to fix them. An EGGSELLENT and GENIUS Doctor! Well, you're in luck Prower. I, the almighty Doctor Ivo Robotnik, know how to cure meddling citizens like you!" Amadeus gasped in shock as he saw the giant figure of Doctor Robotnik step towards him, until everything suddenly went black.

"Miles! Thank goodness! Hurry! I think they've got daddy!"

Rosemary sighed in relief to see her son arrive into the garage, where Amadeus' old biplane left from the Mobius Great War was stored.

"Listen Miles, you must use the plane to fly out of here. There's no time to waste! Remember what your father taught you!" Rosemary told Miles quickly.

"But what about you?!" Said Miles, close to tears.

"Don't worry about me! I'll be fine! I promise! We'll see each other again! Just go Miles, GO!"

BANG!

Swat Bots burst into the house, and were getting closer to the garage entrance.

Rosemary turned to look at her son one more time.

"Mum…I…I…I…Goodbye…" Sniffed Miles.

With that, he instantly switched on the old aircraft's engine, and watched as the garage door automatically opened in front of him.

While Miles drove the plane out into the field, Rosemary went to buy her Son time, by distracting the Swat Bots.

"Here I am Metal Heads! Take me!" She spoke in anger.

By that time, Miles had already gotten the plane onto the field.

"Ok Miles, ok. You can do this. You can do this. You've flown with Dad before. You can do it." Thought Miles to himself.

The aircraft moved forwards quickly on the field.

"Can't turn back now, it's now or never."

Miles braced himself for take-off.

"Ok." He thought. "NOW!"

He pulled the piloting stick towards himself, and the Biplane lifted up into the air.

"LOOK! Over there!" Pointed Dingo from below. "There's a plane up there!"

"SWAT BOTS!" Ordered Sleet. "Shoot it down!"

Miles gulped as the Swat Bots fired their simple lasers up at him.

Luckily, Miles was far enough into the sky that not one of them could hit him.

He laughed to himself and then flew off into the distance.

Back on the ground, the two captured Prowers were taken aboard one of Robotnik's prison ships, while Robotnik talked to his two henchmen.

"Uh Sir, the young one got away!" Reported Sleet.

Robotnik simply grinned.

Dingo frowned to why Robotnik wasn't mad at them.

"No need to worry about young fox boy. He's already getting close to Robotropolis. And nobody can escape from my city…"

 **Meanwhile, elsewhere…**

 _"WELCOME TO ROBOTROPOLIS! THE GREATEST CITY IN ALL OF MOBIUS! HERE YOU WILL FIND THE MOST RELAXING OF LUXURIES OPERATED BY COMPLETELY OBEDIENT ROBOTIC SERVANTS THAT HAVE BEEN GRATEFULLY SUPPLIED BY DR. IVO ROBOTNIK, THE LOVABLE DICTATOR OF THIS EVER-SO-WONDERFUL CITY OF THE FUTURE! ENTRY TO ALL THE CITY'S SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS COST ONLY 150000000000 MOBIUMS!_

 _PLEASE REMEMBER THAT DR. ROBOTNIK REQUESTS THAT ANY MOBIAN, WHETHER AN ARISTOCRAT OR IN POVERTY SEEN BY OR REPORTED TO SWAT BOTS NOT OBEYING THE LAW ARE TO BE TAKEN FOR IMMEDIATE ROBOTICISATION. HAVE A GOOD DAY!"_

This was the message on the notice to all those who came into the city of Robotropolis, through the main gates. Although many believed it to be completely harmless at first, this was clearly wrong the moment you realised what happens in this mysterious urban location...

Robotnik was not the kindly ruler these signs so wildly claimed him to be, for he had caused misery in the lives of many Mobian citizens, either stripping them of money or giving the most severe of punishments; Roboticisation.

But some stood up to his Dictator ways. A group of Resistance Fighters tackled the evil scientist's schemes, stopping his machines from causing devastation, pollution and even corruption across the country of Roboland.

But how these young but courageous 'Freedom Fighters' (as they were also known as) managed to become a threat to the Dictator's empire was fairly simple in the early days. For at this current point in time, in late 3237, Robotnik mainly had control over Robotropolis. The rest of Roboland still found a way to just about cope with the horrible conditions placed upon them by their totalitarian state...

 **In a deserted street of Robotropolis...**

"ARGH!" Scowled Trevor, a member of the resistance, as a powerful robot knocked himself aside.

"Uh oh!" Gasped Cyrus, a main Freedom Fighter technician. "Trevor's down! Now we're done for!"

"DON'T BE TOO SURE BOYS!" Called a female voice.

Then, a pink hedgehog appeared on the scene and karate kicked the robot in the head, before touching a medallion on her chest, which transformed into a portable keyboard laser blaster.

She fired at the robot's chest, which seemed to do some damage.

"Sonia!" Sighed Cyrus with relief. "Thank goodness you're here! Think you can deal with this bot?!"

"I'll give it a try!" Smiled Sonia.

Dodging the robot's deadly punches, she fired more at the chest, which the robot quickly defended before each shot could hit it.

The Robot then fired a massive laser blast at the Freedom Fighters, sending them flying.

"URGH!" Coughed Cyrus as he recovered from the blast. "It's defending itself!"

Then, another voice came.

"Come on dudes, I got this handled!"

A green hedgehog whizzed in on his hoverboard and turned his own medallion into a drum kit, which he used to fire lasers at the robot's eyes.

The Robot scowled in pain as the lasers hit its right eye.

"Manic!" Said Sonia. "About time!"

But before the Freedom Fighters could attack again, the robot punched Manic off his hoverboard, then once again fired a massive laser at the group.

"OOF!"

"We…We can't take much more blasts guys…There must be a way to defeat this robot!" Gulped Cyrus.

Suddenly, a blue blur zoomed out of nowhere and slammed straight into the robot's neck multiple times.

"Don't ya know that a robot's weak point is normally the neck?!" Came a cocky teenage voice.

The Blue Blur came to halt, revealing a spiky blue hedgehog.

The Blue Hedgehog, who like the other hedgehogs, also had a medallion, transformed it into an electric guitar, and blasted a few lasers at the robot's neck and then its chest before the battered machine exploded to bits.

"Oooh Yeah!" Cheered the Hedgehog, who then turned to the Freedom Fighters. "Sonic The Hedgehog at your service! And I'm Way Past Cool!"

Sonia crossed her arms with an angry expression on her face.

"Sonic! What took you so long?!"

"Oh you know, the usual, new Chili Dog stand opening, couldn't miss it!"

"SONIC HEDGEHOG…" Growled Sonia.

"Nevermind now. The robot's been defeated." Sighed Cyrus. "That's all that matters now. Report back to Base ASAP!"

Then, Cyrus and the other Freedom Fighters ran off, leaving the Hedgehogs by themselves.

Sonia was still mad at Sonic for being late to the mission, but before she could complain at him again, he spotted something in the sky.

"Hey, what's that?!" He asked, pointing at an object in the sky.

"AHH! NO! The fuel's running out!"

Miles Prower was sitting in his father's biplane, panicking as the fuel slowly ran out.

He tried lowering the plane as quick as he could, but then the fuel meter hit 0 and the biplane plummeted towards the ground.

"MAYDAY! MAYDAY!" Miles shouted before his plane hit the ground.

CRASH!

 **Two Hours Later…**

"Owwww….My head hurts! Where am I?" Moaned Miles as he woke up in an unfamiliar place.

"Woah. Relax there buddy. You've just had a nasty crash there. You just need to recover."

Sonic was looking down at Miles, who had been placed in a bed, in the Sonic Underground's van.

"Wait." Said Miles, who then looked as if he had woken fully. "I crashed?! Oh no! The Biplane! It's been destroyed!"

"No, no. It's fine kid. We've taken the wreckage to a place where it can be fixed. Manic here will fix it." Replied Sonic, turning to Manic. "Right Bro?"

"Huh?" Spoke Manic as he was driving the van. "Oh, err…Sure I will!"

Manic did an honest expression on his face.

Sonic then turned back to Miles.

"Now then kid, first off, what's your name?"

"Miles Prower." Muttered Miles.

"Cool. And we're the Sonic Underground! That's Manic, that's Sonia, and I'm Sonic!"

"Nice to meet you guys. Are you part of the resistance?!"

"That's right kiddo! We are part of the Mondo cool resistance! Fighting Robotnik is what we do best!"

At the hearing of Robotnik's name, Miles looked down in sadness.

"Huh? What's wrong Miles?" Asked Sonia.

"R…R…R…Robotnik…He must have Roboticised….M….M…My parents by now…"

"Oh. Well don't worry Miles." Said Sonic, pitying him. "We're taking to a safe place where all the other kids are. We call it Sanctuary!"

As Manic drove through some mountains to Sanctuary, Miles was able to take a look and see the beauty of the area, before they parked next to the bridge that led into Sanctuary.

Strangely Cyrus was there, with his arms folded.

"Ahem. Sonic, Manic, Sonia. I thought I asked you to come to base."

"Well Cyrus old buddy, we found a new kid to bring here. His name is Miles Prower!"

"That's good Sonic, but next time please inform me about this first." Sighed Cyrus.

"Look Cyrus, whoever said you're in charge here? Just tell us what our mission is and we'll be off!" Grunted Sonic.

While Cyrus and the Sonic Underground went off to discuss their latest mission, Miles walked up to the other kids in the area.

"Erm, hi." He said nervously.

The older kids turned to him.

"Oh hello. You must be new." Sniggered one of them. "Would like us to show you round?"

"Yeah, that would be nice." Answered Miles.

"Oh look boys! This fox has two tails! He must be an alien! Let's play alien invasion!" Laughed another older kid.

 **Sometime later…**

Miles sat down on a stump in shame, after he'd started to be bullied by the older kids.

He wondered; "Do all the new kids get treated like this?"

Then, Sonic walked up to Tails and said; "Hey big guy, what's up?"

"I don't like the name Miles anymore. The older kids are using my name and the fact I have two tails, just to make fun of me!"

"Oh I see. That's not good."

"Well here's an idea kid. Considering that you've got those cool tails of yours, why don't I call you Tails?"

"Woah, really?" Sparked up Miles, looking excited. "Tails…That sounds cool! I love it!"

"Well then!" Smiled Sonic. "Tails it is!"

And from that point on, Miles Prower was now Miles "Tails" Prower. He would go on to be become a useful ally to the Freedom Fighters in their fight against the cruel and evil Doctor Ivo Robotnik. But little did they know, Robotnik's rule would soon change for good…

 **In the Command Centre of Robotropolis; lair of the vile Dictator himself...**

Upon the high point of the dark and colossal building was the War Room. This former Throne Room was once beautifully decorated with gems and all sorts of paintings around the walls. There was even an entrance to a spare room of ancient Royal Mobolandian artefacts.

But all that was no more.

Now stood a short bridge above an exhaust shaft that none of the scientist's minions wished to know of what lurked at the bottom, for many sounds of hissing could not block the sounds of electrical scowling and groans that once in a blue moon would echo up to the room.

At one end stood an enormous computer, from which the city's vile instructor could spy upon what happens with his citizens, allowing him to assign a Swat Bot squad to take care of any troublemakers that lay throughout.

But the centrepiece was clearly the Command Chair that the Overlander sat for hours upon hours in, rarely getting up to do things himself unless it was something he personally wanted to sort out.

One of those occasions had just ended, with the capture of Amadeus Prower and his wife.

"LET GO OF ME! URRRGH! YOU METAL FIENDS!" Growled the Fox, unable to free himself from the grasps of the Swat Bots, mindlessly clinging onto their command protocols.

 _They could never disobey. Never. Disobeying Robotnik was an act of treason. For both Robots and Mobians under his rule._

The angled and dusty blast doors to the War Room zipped open with automatic control, shutting as soon as the security camera detected the range of distance the Swat Bots had walked through the gap.

"URGH...OW!" Yelped Prower, his arms feeling more and more uncomfortable every minute they were grasped by metal palms.

The Swat Bots approached the spot where the Chair would emerge from a round hole, and instantly dropped the Mobian to his knees, having accomplished their task of capture.

Breathing slowly, Prower tried to threaten the Swat Bots. "Ungh...Why the wait? I thought our lord and dictator wanted to 'cure' me?

"OH BUT I DO, PROWER."

Robotnik's cold voice echoed across the room before the big man himself emerged on his Command Chair, eerie red eyes glowing in the direction of Amadeus' face.

"Sorry for the delay, but I had to make some last minute arrangements, regarding err...Your dear wife, that is." Coldly put the Overlander.

"I-I-I. You did what?!" Bellowed Prower, furious.

Robotnik chuckled quietly.

"Oh don't worry my dear boy, you'll be free to join her soon. However, _Freedom Fighters_ such as you must be reminded that you are at a civil-war of sorts with me, are you not? The Resistance has become a thorn in my side, and I have decided to change that. But for now, let us conclude our business here, Ace pilot Prower."

The Dictator turned to a new robot that had entered the room; a white and grey drone-like upgrade to the Swat Bot design, which saluted him upon noticing its master was facing in its direction.

"Bring it down." Was the Command.

"AYE AYE, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK."

A large tube shaped device was immediately lowered from the ceiling as the Swat Bot pressed a button on its arm panel, with wires a complex gizmos on the top of it. It was encasing Amadeus inside.

"No. No, no. You won't...You'll regret this, Ivo. You'll lose someday! Trust me, you'll be defeated!" Scowled Prower, knowing what his fate would be.

"Goodbye, my dear boy." Returned the Overlander nonchalantly.

There was no scream or yelling from the Mobian any longer. Robotnik just sneered evilly as his Swat Bots stood beside him, loyal to the very end.

All in a day's work for a Dictator such as himself.

 **END OF EPISODE 1.**


	2. Sanctuary Chaos!

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS…..**

 ** _Sonic Underground: The Continuation_**

 **Season 3 Episode 2: Sanctuary Chaos!**

 **Near the Command Centre of Robotropolis…**

SYSTEM BOOT UP SEQUENCE INITIATED…

LOADING DATA BANKS…

SYSTEM BOOT UP COMPLETE IN 5…4…3…2…1

ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE.

STARTING UP MAIN PROGRAMMING…

RADAR MODE= 7.2 PERCENT ENERGY STORAGE.

COORDINATES SET: 71610 43287 111 04312. 0 + 2 o. B 29 + F= 24 125.0 + N.A.71.3 + 51.7 UP 113 UP.

VISUAL MODE= 004 0000000

A new robot created by Doctor Robotnik finished booting up its systems, then headed up into the Command Centre, scanning for signs of lifeforms.

SCANNING WITH HEAT SENSORS FOR LIFEFORMS…

NO LIFEFORMS LOCATED NEAR COMMAND CENTRE.

RETURNING TO CONTROL ROOM.

As soon as the robot reached Robotnik's control room in the Command Centre, it landed straight onto the hands of Robotnik himself, who held it up in glory. "Magnificent these Stealth Orbs are! Don't you agree Sleet and Dingo?" Chuckled the vile Dictator.

"Oh yes, great Robotnik." Grinned Sleet, rubbing his hands together.

"So erm, Robotnik." Said Dingo scratching his head. "Are you going to use this Stealth Orb thingy to find the… err...Sleet? What's the place where the Resistance keeps their rescued children?"

"Sanctuary, you oaf!" Growled Sleet.

"EGGSACTLY!" Replied Robotnik. "For long I have tried many times to find Sanctuary, including the use of a stealth robot disguised as a baby hedgehog, but now I have the perfect solution!"

Grinning evilly, he turned to face the Stealth Orb. "Now then, my Stealth Orb. Track down the Hedgehog, and follow him! Hopefully the spikeball will lead us straight to Sanctuary! Let us smother the heart of the lovely little Mobian children until they cry for mercy...Ohhh...Fear. Music to my ears!" Without delay, the Stealth Orb flew out of the room and eventually exited the Command Centre.

Meanwhile, Sonic and Cyrus were sneaking through the streets of Robotropolis, headed towards a Swat Bot factory.

"Cool it Cyrus! Swat Bots coming up!" Whispered Sonic. The two quickly hid behind a metal container as the Swat Bots stomped past them. As soon as the coast was clear, Sonic and Cyrus quietly opened a ventilation shaft, and then crawled into the pipes.

"Yuck. It smells in here." Commented Cyrus.

"Yeah, just like Robotnik. Old lard-belly must be starting to release crud into the air!" Agreed Sonic.

Soon, they found their way to a shaft near some platforms above a huge room of machines of creating Swat Bots. "Come on Cyrus, this is the place! Move it bud!" Whispered Sonic, motioning for the lion to follow him.

Once they managed to get out of the pipes and onto the platforms, they carefully made their way down some stairs. "Are you sure about this Sonic? Walking straight into one of Robotnik's most dangerous factories? What if we're discovered?!" Asked Cyrus nervously.

"Come on now Cyrus, don't be a scaredy cat. Why are you so nervous these days?" Answered Sonic firmly.

"I well…You know, I'm just not feeling very safe. It's almost as if Robotnik's power is increasing every day!" The lion gulped.

"Chill dude. We can do this. Just stick to the plan! I'll distract the Swat Bots, while you overload the core!" Sonic responded, his cocky attitude taking control.

Cyrus sighed. "Oh all right Sonic. I hope you know what you're doing."

"No problemo! I'm ready!" The blue Hedgehog grinned back.

The two mobians then quickly did their team fist bumps. "Let's do it to it!" They both exclaimed at the same time, before immediately setting to work.

Sonic zoomed down to a group of Swat Bot guards and made silly faces. "Catch me if you can, Swat Bots!"

"PRIORITY ONE HEDGEHOG. CAPTURE FOR ROBOTICIZATION!" Droned the Swat Bots. As Sonic instantly sped off, the drone-like automatons gave chase as usual.

While Sonic was busy distracting the Swat Bots, Cyrus tiptoed over the computer controls of the factory's core. "Alright Cyrus. You can do this. Just need to overload the core." He thought to himself.

Ignoring the laser fire from the Swat Bots that were chasing Sonic, the nervous technical expert lion got to work by typing tons of random commands into the data banks of the computer's core. "Come on, come on!" Thought Cyrus frustratingly.

At last, the computer began to spark heavily. "Phew! Job well done. I just hope Sonic can get us out of here!" The lion sighed with relief.

BOM! The Core began exploding in several areas, catching the attention of Sonic. "Bingo! Ya did it Cyrus!"

He quickly slowed down and turned to the pursuing Swat Bots; "It's been fun running from you bozos, but I gotta juice!"

Much to the confusion of the Swat Bots, Sonic jumped upwards and grabbed onto a metal bar, which he then swung from, and landed next to Cyrus. "Let's get outta here buddy!" He suggested.

Sonic grabbed hold of Cyrus before zooming out through an open door. Once they made it out, the factory exploded with an almighty boom. KRAKADOOM!

The moment the explosion occurred, Robotnik's Stealth Orb turned towards the direction of the destroyed factory. It scanned for signs of lifeforms, managing to detect both Sonic and Cyrus.

LIFEFORMS DETECTED.

MOVING CLOSER FOR FURTHER OBSERVATION.

Upon approaching an area where it could spy on the two Freedom Fighters, the Stealth Orb transmitted its view to the Command Centre.

TRANSMITTING VIDEO…

In the control room, Robotnik was staring at the screen in pleasure. "The Hedgehog! This is all too perfect!" Sneered the fat scientist. "Swat Bots! Intruders in Sector 49! Pursue them immediately!"

Without hesitation, the mindless Swat Bots in sector 49 marched towards Sonic and Cyrus. "Sonic, we've got company!" Pointed out Cyrus.

"Quick! The Van is this way!" Replied Sonic, increasing his speed.

Hurrying into the van, the two Freedom Fighters braced themselves for an intense chase."Drive! Sonic quickly!" Panicked Cyrus. Just in the nick of time, Sonic was able to drive the van out of the street before the Swat Bots could catch them.

Suddenly, Swat Bots with jetpacks came zooming in from behind. "Oh not now!" Complained Sonic.

As he drove further and further to the city's exit, the Swat Bots kept firing non-stop. "Urgh! I can't hold em off for long!" Growled Sonic.

"LOOK OUT SONIC!" Shouted Cyrus. Sonic turned his head towards the windscreen to see a closed gate straight in front of them. "AHHH!" Screamed Sonic and Cyrus.

BOM! "What the?!" Sonic wondered out loud, after they smashed through the gate with minimal impact. "How did we?!" Gasped Cyrus.

"I guess that gate's not as strong as it looks." Theorised Cyrus. "But something doesn't seem right about that. Our escape was too easy, don't you think Sonic?"

But Sonic was preoccupied by something else; "Wait, where did those Swat Bots go?" Asked Sonic, looking through one of the van's rear-view mirrors.

Strangely, the Jetpack Swat Bots had vanished, even though the two Freedom Fighters were certain that they were being followed by them only mere seconds ago.

"No idea." Replied Cyrus worriedly. "Let's just return to Sanctuary. I hope everything's okay..." Little did they know however, the Stealth Orb was following the Van.

Soon, Sonic and Cyrus returned to Sanctuary, where they were greeted by the young and excited Mobian children.

"Sonic! Cyrus! You're back!"

"Yay! Tell us more about your missions!"

"Yeah Sonic!"

Sonic smiled at the young kids, who were all treating him like a hero. "Don't worry, I'll tell you guys soon. Just need to go do some important freedom fighter business."

While the two Mobians walked off, the Stealth Orb hovered above Sanctuary.

SCANNING LOCATION…

COORDINATES CALCULATED.

SENDING COORDINATES OF "SANCTUARY" TO COMMAND CENTER…

Back the Command Centre, Robotnik received the location of Sanctuary, and chuckled to himself. "Eggsellent! Now we have located those Freedom Fighter brats' safe haven! Perfect! Now then..."

His mechanical chair then swivelled 180 degrees to the right to let him face Sleet and Dingo. "You two! Dispatch a ton of Swat Bots to Sanctuary! And tell them to go to these coordinates!" Ordered Robotnik, handing a printout of Sanctuary's coordinates.

"Yes Sir!" Replied the two henchmen, saluting their leader.

 **An Hour Later, at Sanctuary…**

"Sonic Hedgehog!" Shouted Sonia.

"Yeah Sis?" Said Sonic sleepily.

"Why aren't you watching over the kids?! Do you expect us to do everything for you?!" Replied Sonia angrily.

"Look Sonia, you're not the boss of me! You think I'm some babysitter? You're Mondo wrong!" Snapped the blue Hedgehog.

Sonia frowned; she'd never heard Sonic say anything like that to her! "Now you just watch your attitude So-"

KABOOM! Suddenly, the two were sent flying by an unexpected explosion; several Swat Bots had burst into Sanctuary, firing in multiple directions as the young Mobians screamed and scattered from the mindless machines storming their only home.

"Swat Bots here?! In Sanctuary?! Now that's not good!" Growled Sonic. Unfortunately, Sonia had been knocked out by the explosion, so Sonic picked her up and dragged her to safety, hiding her inside one of the small huts.

"Alright bozos, I'm ready!" He told them once he exited the hut. He then immediately transformed his medallion into a Guitar and fired at the Swat Bots.

Zooming around the grassy hillside of Sanctuary, he tried shooting as many of the approaching Swat Bots as he could. "Urgh, there's too many of them!" He moaned, as he was nearly overpowered by tons of lasers nearly hitting him in the chest, forcing him to backflip onto the ground in front of a tree.

Then without warning, a metal fist punched Sonic straight in the chest, somehow causing the Guitar to turn back into a Medallion. "SURRENDER HEDGEHOG, UNDER ORDER OF DOCTOR ROBOTNIK!" Sonic looked up at his attacker, which appeared to be some kind of brand new Swat Bot; it was white and grey, with a red visor and a tougher metal structure than the models he was used to seeing.

"Huh. Never seen Bots like you before, but I'll teach you a lesson!" Sonic rocketed out into the open, with more of the newly designed Swat Bots following him.

"Time to show you a new move I've been working on!" Cried Sonic, before he leaped up into a tree to get a good bird's eye view of the Swat Bots below him.

"I call it my-" Suddenly, Sonic leaped off the tree, curling himself into a ball shape, and smashed straight through the group of new Swat Bots.

"SONIC SPIN ATTACK!" Landing triumphantly, Sonic smirked at the wreckage of the Swat Bots. "Ha! How'd you like that tin-cans?"

Then, without warning, more Swat Bots turned up, this time sporting some kind of tank with a cannon.

"Woah, who thought egg-breath could make Tanks this big?" Gulped the blue Hedgehog, stepping back a little cautiously. "FIRE!" Ordered the Swat Bot leader that was leaning out of the tank's cockpit.

The cannon instantly blasted huge laser shots, which Sonic dodged with little effort. "Ha! Is that all you've got?!" Gloated Sonic.

Next, the Tank turned its cannon towards the Mobian Children that were running all around Sanctuary in panic. "FIRE ELECTRIC NETS AT ALL THE CHILDREN!"

BANG! BANG! Several electric nets came zooming out at the Mobian Children from above, much to Sonic's shock. "No! I've got to be real Mondo quick here!"

Without hesitation, Sonic jumped high up into the air and grabbed every net he could while moving fast. He then threw the nets at the Swat Bots in the tank, in mid-air, electrocuting them just as the one with the controls for the net accidentally pressed the button to activate the electric wires on the nets.

"That was close! I just hope everyone else is safe!" Sonic sighed with relief, glad that the children were safe for now.

"SONIC! HELP!" Within seconds, the former Prince stared up into the sky to see a Carrier Ship flying off, with a Swat Bot aboard that was holding Sonia.

"Argh! You always have to get captured, Sonia!" He Groaned. "I've got to reach that Carrier!"

 **Meanwhile, at the Robotropolis Command Centre…**

"OHOHOHOHOHO! This is Eggsactly as I planned! Sanctuary will soon be no more! AHAHAHAHAHA!" Laughed Robotnik.

"Oh, Great Robotnik! I have good news! The Swat Carrier has reported that they've captured Princess Sonia!" Sleet hastily informed his master.

"EGGSELLENT! This day is turning out better than I thought! You are dismissed, Sleet and Dingo!"

But as soon as the two henchmen walked out, a Swat Bot Leader contacted Robotnik.

"What is it Unit 1368?!" Grunted Robotnik. "I'm trying to enjoy my imminent victory here!"

"SIR, WE HAVE SPOTTED SONIC THE HEDGEHOG CHASING OUR CARRIER! HE'S SMASHED TONS OF OUR SOLDIERS! WHAT DO WE DO?!"

"WHAT!" Shouted Robotnik at his screen. "You incompetent pile of scrap metal! Send your best soldiers and OBLITERATE him!"

"Y-Y-Y-YES SIR, GREAT ROBOTNIK!" Gulped Unit 1368 electronically. Once the screen faded to black, Robotnik stood up, and got out of his chair, then walked out to the new balcony of his control room.

"So! These Freedom Fighters think they can wreck my beloved machines?! I'll show them! Soon I'll reshape the ENTIRE Robotnik Empire!"

 **Soon, aboard the Swat Carrier…**

"Let me go, Tin-heads!" Squirmed Sonia. "SILENCE OUTLAW! YOU WILL SOON BE TAKEN TO DOCTOR ROBOTNIK FOR IMMEDIATE ROBOTICISATION!" Replied a Swat Bot soldier, threatening her with its arm cannon.

As the former princess was dragged towards a cell, another Swat Bot soldier pointed up into the air. "ORGANIC LIFEFORMS DETECTED!"

"Here we come!" Shouted both Sonic and Manic, who were riding on a fancy hoverboard.

"HEDGEHOG ALERT! CAPTURE AND ROBOTICISE!" Droned all the Swat Bots, ready to fire at the unwelcome Freedom Fighters.

"Let's do it to it!" Cheered Sonic, as a he jumped off the hoverboard. He sped all around the deck of the carrier, before smashing them hard with his fist.

"Woah, dude. How'd you do that?!" Asked Manic, who was firing laser from his Drum Kit, while still flying on the hoverboard.

"I call it my Sonic punch! Just make it quick and hard!" Said Sonic.

The Swat Bots attempted to attack back, but were outmatched by Sonic's speed. "THIS IS GETTING OUT OF HAND! CALL OUT THE ELIMINATOR!" Droned Unit 1368.

"Say what?" Asked Sonic. Suddenly, a robot with two claw hands burst through the doors of the cell area and charged towards the blue blur.

"Woah! Watch it metal head!" Sonic told the robot, while jumping out of the way.

"DESTROY THE HEDGEHOG, ELIMINATOR!" Commanded Unit 1368.

"Manic! You get Sonia! I'll deal with old Crabby here!" Sonic shouted to Manic.

"Got it bro!" Replied Manic.

Sonic turned to face his opponent, and looked for a weak point. But without warning, the Eliminator attacked Sonic with its electric claws. "YOW!" Cried Sonic as one of his sneakers was grabbed by a claw, while he was trying to jump.

"Take this, Ugly!" Growled Sonic, who did a spin attack several times onto the Eliminator's face and neck.

Dodging as many attacks as he could, Sonic thought to himself; "How on Mobius can I stop this robot? Spin attacking his body does nothing!" Then, he saw the electric claws, and had an idea. "Aha! Let's give this so called 'Eliminator', a taste of its own medicine!" Grinned Sonic.

Sonic stuck out his tongue at the robot, and told it; "Come at me, ugly!" Angrily, the Eliminator lunged both its claws at Sonic, which he responded to by doing a spin attack on both, sending them back at their owner, electrocuting it, and causing it to explode.

"IMPOSSIBLE! THE ELIMINATOR HAS BEEN DESTROYED! ALL UNITS, STOP THE HEDGEHOGS" Shouted Unit 1368.

"Too late bozos! You're too slow for me!" Said Sonic triumphantly, while easily using his Sonic punch to defeat the rest of the Swat Bots.

"Good job Bro! I got Sonia!" Called Manic from the Cell Room doorway.

"Thanks guys! That was close!" Sighed Sonia.

"Next time sis, don't let your guard down! Who knows what could have just happened to Sanctuary while we were away?" Muttered Sonic.

"Sorry Sonic, I was surprised by them after I woke up from the explosion!" Sonia apologised politely.

"Nevermind guys, let's regroup with the other Freedom Fighters, if they're still there." Manic told them.

Once they ditched the Swat Carrier and reached the mountain area where Sanctuary was, Manic's hoverboard was hit by a laser all of a sudden. "Argh!" Screamed all three Hedgehogs as they fell to the ground.

The Stealth Orb showed itself to them, and began shooting them non-stop with a hidden laser below its camera eye. "Urgh, Robotnik just doesn't give up, does he?!" Moaned Sonic. "Whatever. My Medallion's recharged, so let's finish this bot!"

Quickly transforming his Medallion, Sonic plucked the strings of the Guitar once, to send a single laser straight into the Eye of the Stealth Orb, finally stopping it for good. "Phew, at last! That should be all of Robotnik's goons dealt with for now!" Said Sonic with a sigh of relief.

"Good job guys!" Called out Cyrus, accompanied by many Freedom Fighters who were walking across the Bridge that leads to Sanctuary, while escorting the frightened Mobian kids. "Unfortunately, I think it's too dangerous to keep the Children in Sanctuary, now that Robotnik knows it's here."

"Good point Cyrus. We'll just have to return to base and keep them there. But that'll also make things harder for us." Examined Sonic.

"True, but it's the only option we've got." Sighed Cyrus.

"You know, I think you were right Cyrus. It does kind of feel Robotnik's getting stronger! I guess we just have to find out how to stop him from doing so!" Commented the blue Hedgehog, feeling somewhat concerned over the advancements in Robotnik's Empire. What could the Dictator possibly have planned?

 **End of Episode 2.**

 **Next time: ROBOTNIK'S REVENGE.**


	3. Robotnik's Revenge Part 1

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS...**

 _ **Sonic Underground: The Continuation**_

 **Season 3 Episode 3: Robotnik's Revenge Part 1**

" _For many Freedom Fighters all around Mobius, it seemed as if fighting Robotnik with combined forces of friends and family would bring them to victory. But little did they know, it would soon be turned against them._ " – Queen Aleena Hedgehog.

 **At Mobius Southern Valley…**

KABOOM! The Valley and Mountain folk were running for their lives from a surprise Swat Bot attack that was destroying their villages. "Run! Run!" Ordered Zeb, a senior valley folk member, struggling to move himself across the landscape.

"SURRENDER CITIZENS! YOU ARE TO BE ROBOTICISED UNDER THE ORDER OF DOCTOR ROBOTNIK!" Ordered a Swat Bot general in a drone-like voice.

Only a small group of Mobians were not running; a Condor and two cloaked figures. "Wow, looks like Robotnik's at it again Spikes!" Said one of the cloaked figures to the Condor.

"Yup! Robotnik seems to be obsessed with conquering villages all of a sudden!" Replied the Condor. "I don't think Sonic would approve of this!"

"Neither would I!" Sniggered the other cloaked figure.

"Of course I wouldn't approve. Ready Manic?" Whispered the Condor.

"Ready bro." Answered the first cloaked figure. The Condor and the cloaked figures all pulled off their disguises to reveal themselves as Sonic, Manic and Sonia.

"LET'S DO IT TO IT!" All three royal hedgehogs shouted, before they all charged towards the Swat Bots and attacked at full strength.

"WHAT THE?! THE HEDGEHOGS! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Panicked the Swat Bot general.

"You aren't going anywhere bozos!" Sonic informed him as he used his new Sonic Punch to destroy the Swat Bots.

As usual, the Freedom Fighters didn't seem to have much problem fighting the Swat Bots, even though they'd been upgraded to a new model.

But without warning, another explosion erupted nearby, with the impact sending them flying in different directions until they landed and could quickly re-group.

"Oh no!" Gasped Sonia in shock as she returned to her brothers' sides; all that she could see in the distance was the remains of the Mountain Folk village, just burning to the ground in furiously sizzling flames created by the explosion. Nobody was in the village luckily, but all its occupants had been taken away…

"Darn! It was a distraction! They took all the Mountain and Valley folk while we were too busy smashing bots!" Growled Manic.

Sonic looked up into the sky in anger and shouted; "ROBOTNIK! You'll soon pay for this, egg-breath!"

 **At Robotnik's control room in Robotropolis…**

The tyrannical Dictator was fed up with his current state of affairs. As he lay in his mechanical chair in the war room, with a large pit below the bridge platform still filled with noises of what were presumably robotic creatures begging for oil and scrap metal for their daily meal, he thought to himself about his war with the Resistance. It had been a year and a few months since he declared war on them, and already things were beginning to escalate.

Though he had found Sanctuary and gotten himself even more Robian slaves to work in his factories, he still had the large problem of cutting down the amount of Freedom Fighters in Roboland. Not just the existing ones, but other Mobians who could potentially be recruited to it in the future. If that happened, he could be at a very big disadvantage!

This of course, was why he had begun to plan his revenge on the Roboland Resistance. But even that seemed to have hit a small snag. The supplies of equipment needed for his plan hadn't arrived by train yet!

"You! Why haven't my supplies arrived?!" Snarled the mad dictator to a Swat Bot standing in front of him.

"THE TRAIN PIPELINE HAS BEEN DESTROYED SIR. THERE IS NO SAFE WAY TO TRANSPORT THEM BY PIPELINE EXPRESS NOW." The automaton buzzed.

"The Hedgehog destroyed my pipeline?!" Growled Robotnik, as the echoing tone of his voice sent a chill down the spines of Sleet and Dingo, who stood behind the Swat Bot to contemplate whether they should report anything to their agitated master.

"NEGATIVE. THERE IS NO FOOTAGE OR SIGN OF THE HEDGEHOG DESTROYING THE PIPELINE. WE ONLY FOUND THE WRECKAGE OF IT APPROXIMATELY 4 HOURS AGO. NO TRACE OF THE PERPATRATOR WAS FOUND IN THE AREA." The Swat Bot corrected its leader.

"Why, you incompetent fool! I've had enough of you!" Robotnik clenched his fists, then slamming the arm rest on his chair, which contained a very special button…

Without warning, a metal crusher fell from the ceiling, and landed on the Swat Bot.

Sleet and Dingo jumped out of their skins in horror as they saw the remains of the Swat Bot revealed while the crusher went back up into the ceiling. And so, to dispose of the remains, the bridge opened up and dropped the scrap metal straight into the pit, where the sound of mechanical munching was heard from whatever monstrosities the vile Dictator hid down there.

Immediately after, the obese Overlander set his gaze on his two henchmen; a gaze he'd given them many times before. Clearly this was not the right time to interrupt him.

"Erm, we'll just go, right Dingo?" Asked Sleet, nudging his partner when he didn't reply.

"Oh, errr yeah. I don't feel like being crushed." Replied Dingo nervously.

Once the two henchmen left, Robotnik slumped backwards in his chair and muttered to himself. "This body has worn its welcome now. Its old, feeble and it has served its purpose adequately. It's time to test out my new body chamber!"

 **Back at the current Freedom Fighter base…**

"We're just wasting our time!" Sonic grumpily kicked a can around while ranting.

"It's not our fault Sonic, we didn't know that Robotnik had two groups of Swat Bots stationed there!" Commented Cyrus.

"But we're the Resistance! We should know better than this!" Moaned Sonic.

"Why do you always suspect the worst Sonic? We've only failed a couple of missions in the past!" Asked Sonia.

"Because everytime we suspect the best, the worst happens! Don't you see?! We've been going in circles for at least a year now! We've not gotten close to defeating Robotnik, or to even finding our Mother!"

"Calm down bro!" Informed Manic as he walked into the room. "I know we'll do so one day, it's just a matter of time!"

But Sonic was too frustrated about the failure of the mission to reply.

"Chill guys, we've got one simple mission coming up." Notified Cyrus. "There's been some sort of crisis at the Mobian University. It's been reported that Swat Bots have stolen artefacts from the Mobian University."

"What kind of artefacts Cyrus? Is it the same sort as what Robotnik dug up and told everyone they were from Mobupinchu?" Asked Sonia with curiosity.

"Yeah, it actually is! But we need you three to find out why he's stealing them, because it's not for money this time. Once you find out, do you can to stop whatever he's doing." Cyrus solidified.

"Gotcha, Cyrus. We best be on our way then!" Grinned Manic.

 **Meanwhile, far outside Robotropolis…**

Several robots were digging underground for all kinds of mysterious weapons that had been buried for years in the ground.

Sleet and Dingo were supervising, but even they had no idea what and why Robotnik wanted them to dig up.

"Sleet, these weapons don't look too old. They're only a bit rusty!" Observed Dingo, who was holding up a dug up weapon.

"Interesting." Said Sleet, ignoring the fact that Dingo had actually been observant. "I'd say they're only more than 15 years old."

"Odd. Do you think there was a battle here or something?" Dingo scratched his head.

"Not just a battle you oaf. A war. There are tons of these weapons lying around. Millions. And not just that, there's helmets here too. Lots of battles must have happened here Dingo, not one."

"Woah. Then why do think Robotnik is asking us to dig them up?" The orange dingo asked curiously.

Sleet wondered for a moment. It was always suspicious when Robotnik didn't explain the full details of his plans. This one seemed absurd right now, but the more Sleet thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. "I don't know. But perhaps he's using them for some really big plan. Weapons as destructive as these don't get used very often. Not unless…"

Dingo frowned. "Unless what, Sleet?"

Sleet suddenly grinned. "You'll see Dingo. I've never known Robotnik to be more devious than this."

 **At the Mobian University…**

"Lard-belly's certainly wrecked this place up." Commented Sonic, who looked around one of the classrooms of the University. They'd been here before to check out some artefacts that Robotnik claimed had been dug up from the long lost city of Mobupinchu. But of course, they weren't.

"Yeah, it looks like he was desperate to get whatever he wanted from here." Observed Sonia.

"Sonia! Thank goodness you're here!" Came an elderly voice.

"Professor! Are you all right?" Sonia instantly rushed to her old teacher's side. He was hiding amongst the rubble of walls damaged by laser fire.

"I'm fine Sonia, I managed to hide after they first came. Swat Bots, they came out of nowhere! Normally Robotnik just leaves the University alone, but now he's been taking people for Roboticisation from all around the country! I think I'm probably the only one here who didn't get captured." Breathed the Professor as his old student helped him up.

"Professor, I know you're probably tired after all that, but could you show us what he's stolen?" Sonia asked politely as the Professor dusted his lab coat.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Follow me." Replied the elderly Mobian, picking up his walking stick to help him move quicker. Slowly but surely, he showed them into his office, which had cracked windows now due to the attack.

"Y'know there's something I've been meaning to tell you." The Professor began, now sitting down into an arm chair. "You know those artefacts I told you were about 500 years old? I'm afraid Robotnik is not the only one who lied about what they really were…"

"Say what?!" Sonic frowned, as did Sonia especially, surprised at the notion that one of her old teachers had apparently lied to her.

"You're a good student Sonia. A really good one. But even you haven't learned all of Mobius' history. What I called the Third Mobian War is actually the Great Mobius War. Those artefacts you found were just weapons used during the war that Robotnik dug up to sell at his own auctions. Of course, they're not 500 years old. Oh no, that would be impossible. To be honest, they're probably more so around your age. The War wasn't that long ago…" The Professor explained in detail, nearly boring Sonic.

But now as he was disturbed at the thought of the event, the Professor quickly changed the subject.

"Look, if Robotnik needs these weapons, it's for something that he can't do with his own weapons." The Professor theorised. "And whatever that is, I don't think its good news."

"So Prof, where could he have taken them?" Sparked up Sonic.

"Most likely to the old Swat Bot facility outside Robotropolis. There's also a battle site there, and I've heard rumours that Robotnik might be digging up more Great War weapons there." Whispered the Professor.

"Then we'll just have stop him. Come on guys!." Sonic called his siblings, quickly rocketing off out of the classroom as they were forced to head after him and back into the van outside.

 **Later, at the Swat Bot Facility…**

"Something's not right here guys! The place is empty!"

"Shh! We don't know for sure Sonia!"

"He's right Sis! Who knows who could be lurking here?"

The three hedgehogs as usual were using ventilation pipes to travel through the facility, but there seemed to be no danger whatsoever. "I have a bad feeling about this…" Muttered Manic.

"Same. Why do I get the feeling that we're expected here?" Grunted Sonic.

"Guys! Look! Down there!" Called Sonia.

As Manic crawled behind Sonic, he heard Sonic gasp.

"What is it bro?" The green Hedgehog carefully whispered as so not to alert any Swat Bots that might be hiding near the pipes.

"Look down this gap, and see for yourself!" Sonic motioned his brother to come closer.

Much to Manic's surprise, he saw an enormous missile of some kind, down a large pit dug deep down in the rocky ground that the facility was built on top of. Next to it, were some conveyor belts, which were carrying many rusted explosives into several different containers inside the missile.

"I don't believe it…So that's why Robotnik wanted those old weapons! He's using them to fill the shell of that missile for when it explodes! But what does he need a missile for?!" Pondered Sonia.

"No idea, but we need to find out." Said Sonic seriously.

"Still, I don't get it. Why is the place not filled with Swat Bots? The Battlefield site is empty too! It feels like a Ghost Town!" Muttered Sonia.

"I know, this place gives us the creeps too." Whispered Manic.

As the Sonic Underground crawled through the pipes, they saw more and more sections of the launching area for the missile. It seemed that all the systems were either on automatic, or being controlled from somewhere else. Once they reached a porthole and climbed out of it, they found themselves in a mysterious room.

"This must be an observation deck!" Examined Manic.

Suddenly, without warning, the facility started to vibrate. "What the?!" Spoke all three hedgehogs.

"I think the missile is going to launch!" Cried Sonic, turning back to get back into the pipe, but strangely, it had vanished. "Hey, where'd the pipe go?! It was here a moment ago!"

"You know, Sonic, Manic. I think this place is some kind of trap!" Gulped Sonia, realising there wasn't a single door in sight that they could exit through.

The Missile's rocket booster then burst into life, and took off instantly once a hatch in the roof opened. "Woah wait! It took off already?!" Stuttered Manic.

"Uh, look at this." Whispered Sonia.

There was a small screen, showing a camera view of the missile travelling to its location, with an electronic graph below, showing how far and what its location was.

"It's headed for… MOBODOON?! But how?! Mobodoon's normally blocked off to the rest of Mobius at this time! It's not the right time for it to appear yet!" Sonia boomed in confusion. Usually Mobodoon was supposed to appear for one day in March, but what the screen implied that the portal had prematurely opened at the wrong time of the year.

"Uh Sonia, I think today is different." Spoke out Sonic, who was pointing at the camera view on the screen.

Much to their surprise, the Hedgehogs saw a portal opening in the same place that they'd gone to Mobodoon in the past; the rotted forest, still filled with fog and the tracks of the destroy vehicles that Sleet had used to try and steal precious items from the mysterious city.

"Oh no!" Cried Manic, as Missile made contact with the portal and easily squeezed through it.

The Camera View now showed the Missile flying high above Mobodoon, before then pointing itself straight at the city.

The Hedgehogs now watched in horror as the Missile hurtled down at the city; how could this be happening? It felt like a bad dream. In fact, more than just a bad dream, it was a total nightmare!

Mobodoon itself had not only been a secret and hidden city, but the birthplace of Sonic, Manic and Sonia. Their last trip to it was on their birthday where they'd saved it from dying by recovering its power source from Sleet and Dingo in yet another adventure.

Manic had almost decided to stay and live in the city, because originally he thought he had 'found his home.' But in the end, he decided that his true home was with his brother and sister, a decision he still maintained to this day as they continued their perilous adventures across Mobius, fighting Robotnik and sending all his plans into meltdown. Of course, after all the craziness in the Virtual World a few months ago, he never suspected Robotnik would try to destroy their own birthplace!

Now their eyes were glued to the screen, even though they couldn't bear to look. They knew that there was nothing they could do; even with Sonic's speed, the rotted forest was hours away.

As the Missile got closer, the Camera View showed many people screaming from below and running for their lives.

 **FLASHBACK TO FIRST VISIT TO MOBODOON:**

"Come on, sis! You know the word is the Oracle said we were born there. And when the moon's full on the second even day of the third month, bam, it shows up just like clockwork! Today's the day and I just know when Mobodoon shows up, so will Ma!" Manic told Sonia.

"I wanna see Mother as well as you. But all I see now are dirty trees, yuck!" Replied Sonia.

 **Back to now:**

"No…No!" Came a familiar voice from the screen.

The Missile was moving slowly, as if to torture it's victims, before death, and give pain to the Hedgehogs watching it.

It didn't take very long for the Sonic Underground to recognise the voice.

It was Mayor Winniham.

 **FLASHBACK TO FIRST VISIT TO MOBODOON:**

"Hm, ah-hm, eh-yeah...Yum!" Said Manic, stealing an Apple.

"Wait!" Came the voice of the Mayor.

Manic gasped.

"Trying to get us thrown out of here?!" Growled Sonia.

"Whaddya doin'?" Spoke Sonic.

"Oh, it's cool! It's not what you think! I-I was just-" Grinned Manic nervously.

"This one's not ripe yet. Here, take this one. It's better!" The Mayor told Manic.

"Uh, thanks ma'am, but I... don't have any money."

"We don't use money in Mobodoon! Everyone's welcome to all our town has to offer." Chuckled the Mayor.

"Really?" Gasped both Sonic and Sonia.

"In that case, there's a beauty spa that's playin' my song!" Said Sonia dreamily.

"And I could swear there's the distinct aroma of chili dog on the breeze!" Sniffed Sonic.

Once Sonic and Sonia ran off to do their things, Manic continued eating apples.

"Wait, Manic! I have something to show you." The Mayor informed him.

"Hey! My... you know my name!" Gasped Manic.

"Of course I do! I know all three of you." Snickered the Mayor.

"How?"

"You'll learn everything in due time. Please, won't you come with me? First, let me introduce myself. I'm Mayor Winniham, leader of Mobodoon. And, if I may say so, it's good to finally have you back where you belong."

 **Back to now:**

"Oh Oracle of Delphius, please protect us. Save our souls!" Came the muffled voice of the Mayor from the Missile Camera View.

Then, the Graph below the Camera View on the screen turned to a countdown.

 _10_

"Our Birthplace…" Said Manic, tears pouring down his eyes.

 _9_

 _8_

 _7_

"No….All those poor people." Said Sonia, who also had tears pouring down her eyes.

 _6_

 _5_

 _4_

 _3_

"No… Why? Why Buttnik? Why Mobodoon?!" Growled Sonic in shock.

 _2_

 _1_

 _0_

There was no sound of an explosion, as the camera view suddenly turned to analogue static, blurring on the monitor as it was realised that the camera had been destroyed in the explosion. The electronic radar, on the other hand, now showed some text that crushed so much hope still in the Hedgehogs' hearts; "MISSION COMPLETE!"

But before the Hedgehogs could mourn the loss of Mobodoon, they were interrupted by an evil voice from behind them. "Enjoying my Eggstreme victory, Hedgehogs?"

The Sonic Underground swivelled around to see Dr. Ivo Robotnik's face on another screen behind them, grinning like the megalomaniac he was.

Standing below the screen, was Sleet and Dingo, holding them at gunpoint with some Swat Bots.

"Now then, Spikeball." Sneered Robotnik. "Prepare yourself and your brother and sister for Roboticisation!"

"How could you do this Walrus – face?! Oh, and nice new look. It suits your cruel and fat self very well!" Said Sonic in anger.

"Why thank you, Hedgehog." Chuckled the Dictator vilely, taking pride in his own vanity.

"But don't think we'll ever forgive you for this, Robuttnik!" Sonic mocked him angrily.

"This, Spikeball, is only the beginning of my takeover of Mobius! Now that Mobodoon is wiped from the face of its own dimension, I can concentrate on capturing other parts of Mobius for my Empire, and crush all those who oppose me! Soon I will have no need for these puny aristocrats! On one day Hedgehog, one day...I shall emerge triumphant, and watch as your pathetic little Freedom Fighter suffer under my wrath. It is you who shall not be forgiven for your actions!"

He laughed maniacally, before returning to his serious tone and expression.

"But it is a shame that my supplies didn't reach me! Because the pipeline was destroyed, the train was unable to deliver my original explosive supplies, as it crashed! I had to dig up Great War weapons just so I could get my missile to work! So then. Before your Roboticisation, I would like to know one thing. WHO DESTROYED MY PIPELINE?!"

Suddenly, a different voice unexpectedly echoed through the room's speakers.

"FEAR NOT, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK! FOR YOU SHALL NOW KNOW THAT IT WAS I! THE GREAT METALLIX BETA, WHO DESTROYED YOUR PIPELINE!" Boomed the voice.

Everyone in the room, including the surprised Robotnik on the screen, turned towards a dark hallway entrance, where pair of red electronic eyes was glowing.

"AND NOW, I SHALL ASSIST IN AVENGING MOBODOON!"

 **END OF EPISODE 3.**


	4. Robotnik's Revenge Part 2

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS….**

 ** _Sonic Underground: The Continuation_**

 **Season 3 Episode 4: Robotnik's Revenge Part 2**

 **At a Swat Bot Facility…**

The Sonic Underground had just seen their birthplace; the hidden city of Mobodoon, get destroyed by a missile created by Robotnik. And now things certainly weren't looking very good, now that Sleet, Dingo and some Swat Bots were in the room, while Robotnik taunted his enemies from a screen.

"That, Spikeball, is only the beginning of my takeover of Mobius! Now that Mobodoon is wiped from the face of its own dimension, I can concentrate on capturing other parts of Mobius for my Empire, as well as being able to properly control Robotropolis! Soon I will have no need for these puny aristocrats! I'll be the Dictator of ALL OF ROBOLAND in a matter of time!" Explained Robotnik.

He laughed maniacally, before returning to his serious tone and expression.

"But it is a shame that my supplies didn't reach me! Because the pipeline was destroyed, the train was unable to deliver my original explosive supplies, as it crashed! I had to dig up Great War weapons just so I could get my missile to work! So then. Before your Roboticisation, I would like to know one thing. WHO DESTROYED MY PIPELINE?!"

Suddenly, a different voice unexpectedly echoed through the room's speakers.

"FEAR NOT, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK! FOR YOU SHALL NOW KNOW THAT IT WAS I! THE GREAT METALLIX BETA, WHO DESTROYED YOUR PIPELINE!" Boomed the voice.

Everyone in the room, including Robotnik on the screen, turned towards a dark hallway entrance, where pair of red electronic eyes was glowing.

"AND NOW, I SHALL ASSIST IN AVENGING MOBODOON!"

Sleet then pointed his blaster towards the doorway.

"Then show yourself! Whoever you are!" Sleet threatened the mysterious figure.

When the figure did not reply, Sleet ordered for a Swat Bot to take care of it; "Very well. If you won't come out, then we'll make you. Then you can join the Hedgehogs too. Unit 3945, get the intruder."

Obeying automatically, the Swat Bot marched into the room to bring the mysterious figure inside. But what nobody expected was the Swat Bot immediately staggering out from the darkness, roaring electronically in pain as a metal saw was embedded into its chest!

Then within moments, the figure finally revealed itself, grabbing the Swat Bot by its arms and pushing it in the direction of another Swat Bot, causing both to collapse as the Sonic Underground watched in amazement.

"What the?! Swat Bots, destroy this…Thing!" Sleet, as he and Dingo stepped backwards.

The figure retaliated by grabbing a spiked device from a brown backpack he was carrying, and tossed it and several more at the Swat Bots' heads, decapitating them within seconds.

Sparking, the headless Swat Bots blindly tried to attack the figure with their laser fingers, but instead ended up shooting up each other.

The figure came to a halt, and turned to the three bewildered Hedgehogs; "WELL? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET YOURSELVES OUT OF HERE!" Screeched the figure, before blasting a hole through the wall with the last of its spiked devices.

As the Sonic Underground made their way out of the room, the figure turned to see that Sleet and Dingo had disappeared, and there was a tightly locked trap door in their place. Nevertheless, he followed suite and followed the Hedgehogs.

"Woah!" Sonic skidded to a halt to see a huge pit below him, seeing as outside the room was a section of platforms hanging from the ceilings.

"THIS WAY HEDGEHOGS! MORE SWAT BOTS ARE ON THE WAY!" The figure informed them, jumping onto some sort half pipe and used it as a slide to make his way down.

"Well, I guess we don't have any other option! Come on guys!" Muttered Sonic, before all four then quickly leaped onto the half pipe to follow the figure.

"Woahhhh!" Screamed Sonic.

"Ahhhhhh!" Screamed Sonia.

"Arghhhhhh!" Screamed Manic.

The Half Pipe was enormous, meaning there was enough space to slide around to each side.

The figure, who was in front of the Hedgehogs, shouted back at them;" LOOK OUT! BEHIND YOU!" Tons of Metallic balls with Robotnik symbols painted onto them came rolling down the half pipe, headed straight towards the four. "TURN TO OTHER SIDE TO DODGE THEM! WE'LL LET THEM GET DOWN INTO THE PIT THAT WAY!" The figure instructed them.

Despite their panic, the SU tried hard to dodge the balls, which both rolled and bounced down the half pipe.

"This is insane!" Cried Sonic. "First Mobodoon gets blown to bits by a Missile, then we're rescued by a –WOAH!" After ducking his head to avoid being hit by a bouncing metal ball, he resumed his sentence. "Yowza! Rescued by an odd robot and now we're dodging crazy metal balls! What a day this is!"

The closer they got they got down to the end of the half pipe, while letting more balls roll past them into the pit, they spotted Cranes above the pit, carrying Swat Bot body parts. "THERE! JUMP UP AND GRAB ONTO THE CRANES!" Suggested the figure.

Sonic, Sonia and the figure leaped up onto separate cranes first, but when Manic tried to jump up, he didn't grab in time. "No!" He gasped. But before he could fall into the pit, he was grabbed by the robotic figure. GOTCHA! JUST HOLD ON MANIC!" Said the figure as he pulled Manic up.

"Woah, thanks. But wait, how do you know us?" Asked Manic.

"I'LL EXPLAIN LATER. COME ON!" Scowled the robotic figure.

Eventually, the cranes began to move. Once they reached an area above a lower platform, the four made a daring jump, and carefully landed on the platform with minimal bruises.

"RIGHT. OFF WE GO!" Jeered the figure, who then opened a nearby exit door.

After finally escaping the Swat Bot facility, the mysterious figure and the Sonic Underground dashed towards the Band Van. "Hey!" Called out Sonic as he got inside. "Who told you that you're driving?!"

"I DID. NOW FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS HEDGEHOGS. THIS WILL BE A WILD RIDE!" Replied the figure. Before Sonic could reply though, the figure switched on the engine, then made the van drive forwards in a huge burst of speed.

"Woah! How'd you do that?!" Asked Manic, who'd fallen backwards. "GEAR MODIFYING. IT'S VERY COMPLEX, BUT EFFECTIVE." Explained the figure, who continued to drive the van faster than ever, right out into the deserted wasteland-like countryside.

"What's y-y-y-y-y-your name again by the way?!" Gasped Sonic as he held onto one of the chairs. "METALLIX BETA. BUT YOU CAN CALL ME MECHA." The robotic figure informed him.

Eventually, Metallix Beta slowed down the van, allowing the Sonic Underground to finally fasten their seat belts. "WAS THAT TOO QUICK FOR YOU SONIC?" Chuckled Beta.

"Listen Mecha, or whoever you are. You better tell us what's going on, or we'll suspect you're working for Robotnik!" Growled Sonic, who stared straight into Beta's digital eyes.

"I ASSURE YOU, I AM YOUR ALLY. I MEAN NO HARM TO ANY OF YOU. JUST ASK ME WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW." The robot tried assuring the former Prince.

"Alright." Said Sonic, still concerned. "First things first, how do you know who we are?"

"TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I KNEW YOUR UNCLE, SIR CHARLES HEDGEHOG!" Beta began.

"My Uncle?! Well then, metal dude, prove it!" Smirked Sonic, not quite believing him at first.

"LAST TIME YOU SAW HIM WAS WHEN YOU WERE 14, SONIC. AT THAT TIME, HE WAS 68." Explained the robotic hedgehog, whose digital eyebrows changed shape. For a robot shaped like a hedgehog, he was surprisingly quite tall, towering over all three of the teenage hedgehogs. He spoke in a well mannered tone from a clearly battered speaker behind his non-moving mouthpiece.

"Wait a second, that's right! He was 68 last time!" Sonic then remembered. "But how can we know you didn't just look that up? Robuttnik's bound to have lots of files on his worker bots."

"AH, TRUE. BUT THERE IS ONE THING THAT NOT EVEN ROBOTNIK KNOWS ABOUT YOUR UNCLE; HE WAS ONCE A SERVANT TO THE KING OF MOBIUS HIMSELF, MAXIMILIAN THE FIRST!"

"Yeah, now I remember. He used to tell me stories about his time with the king…" Muttered Sonic, who looked down at the floor. He remembered all the fun times of being trained by Uncle Chuck to be a Freedom Fighter, all of which helped his determination to destroy Robotnik's tyranny for good.

Sonic then looked back up and returned to asking questions to Beta. "Alright buddy, you've convinced me so far. Now tell me what's happening with Robotnik. What's he up to?"

"HE'S PLANNING TO INVADE SEVERAL LOCATIONS ACROSS ROBOLAND. Explained Beta. "BUT HE ALSO IS TRYING TO GET RID OF AREAS IN MOBIUS THAT ARE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS TO HIM. SO HE'S BUILT A FEW MISSILES TO DESTROY THEM." Explained Beta.

"And one of them was for Mobodoon…." Sighed Sonia in sadness.

"EXACTLY. HE DISCOVERED RECENTLY THAT THE POWER STONE OF THE CITY WAS GOING HAYWIRE AT ONE POINT, OPENING THE PORTAL TO THE CITY AT A CERTAIN TIME EVERY DAY. BUT HE COULDN'T JUST ATTACK IT, HE'D ALREADY TRIED DOING THAT ON YOUR BIRTHDAY! SO THE MISSILE WAS MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE….The robot continued, with a tone of great sympathy in his voice as he drenched up the details.

"Is there anything we can do?" Asked Manic with some hope.

"FOR MOBODOON? UNFORTUNATELY NOT. ITS RUINS ARE PROBABLY LEFT FLOATING IN THAT DIMENSION. THE BEST WE CAN DO IS AVENGE IT. HOPEFULLY IF WE CAN STOP THE REST OF ROBOTNIK'S PLAN, WE CAN RECRUIT MORE PEOPLE AROUND ROBOLAND INTO THE RESISTANCE. THAT WAY WE MIGHT STAND A CHANCE."

"Oh..." Murmured Manic miserably. This was especially bad news for him, as the last time they had visited Mobodoon, it had almost felt like the home he had always wanted. And though he initially decided that he wished to remain there, he had discovered through his heart how his real home was in fact with his siblings in the Sonic Underground. From his point of view, he knew that they would all need to comfort each other in the aftermath of such a saddening turn of events.

"WE MUST BE CAREFUL HOWEVER." Continued Beta. "DOCTOR ROBOTNIK KNOWS THAT YOU'VE ESCAPED, SO HE'S BOUND TO TRY AND STOP YOU."

As Sonia and Manic sat down on their beds, which were next to the van's passenger seats, Sonic thought for a second. "Alright then, Mecha. I'll trust you for now. If there's any funny business, you know what's coming."

"YOUR TERMS ARE ACCEPTABLE SONIC, I APPROVE." The robot replied, pleased that Sonic had some diplomatic skills.

"Good." Nodded Sonic. "Now tell us, what's the first location?"

"LAKE VALLEY."

Sonia gasped. "L-l-l-lake valley? The only resort left on Mobius?! But that means…."

"ROBOTNIK HAS A HEART OF STEEL, SONIA. AND YOU KNOW HE'S NOT GOING TO GO SOFT ON ANYONE. NOBODY." Explained Beta.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Spoke Sonic. "Let's give old lard-belly a piece of our mind!"

 **At Lake Valley…**

"There's no point Stripes!"

A citizen of the Lake Valley village was arguing with Stripes, the founder of the Lake Valley resort.

"Didn't you hear Robotnik's message? Mobodoon, the hidden city, was destroyed! We're vulnerable here!" Argued Stripes.

"Mobodoon doesn't exist you idiot! It was just a lie to scare us, but we ain't scared of Robotnik!" Replied the citizen.

"But then what if Robotnik tries to conquer all of Mobius?! What then?!" Insisted Stripes.

"Why'd he bother to do that? He has all the aristocrats to give him all the money and luxury he wants!"

"It's not money or luxury that he wants Fred, its chaos and destruction! Haven't you seen from the recent attacks around Mobius that this seems to be the case?!"

"Bah! Robotnik just wants more servants and power in Robotropolis. That's all. More Robians to do the factory jobs and all. He's got plenty of Swat Bots too."

"Fine! Think what you want Fred, but I know Robotnik's become more insane over time!" Grumped Stripes as he walked off.

As he sighed and sat down on the ledge of a small cliff above the village, Stripes wondered: Where were the Sonic Underground?

"Perhaps they're just busy fighting Robotnik, as usual. But I fear the worst for the Village, now that Mobodoon's been destroyed." Thought Stripes.

Meanwhile, back in the SU's Camper Van, Metallix Beta was explaining to the group more about himself, while Manic took over the wheel.

"So where exactly do you come from Mecha, and how did you meet my Uncle?" Asked Sonic.

"HEH. I DON'T COME FROM THIS WORLD AT ALL. I'M FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION!"

"What?! Really?" Spoke all three Hedgehogs.

"INDEED." Replied Beta, showing a faded Robotnik symbol on his right arm. "I WAS CREATED BY AN ALTERNATE VERSION OF DOCTOR ROBOTNIK, WHO REASONS EVEN I DO NOT KNOW. BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS, IS THAT I TURNED AGAINST HIM."

"So how'd you wind up here then?" Asked Manic, the most curious one in the Van.

"I'M AFRAID I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER IT VERY CLEARLY. IT SO WAS SO MANY YEARS AGO THAT ALL I CAN RECALL IS A BRIGHT FLASH OF ENERGY, AND SUDDENLY I'M LYING IN THE BADLANDS, IN A WORLD COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TO MY OWN. THAT WAS ALL BEFORE I MET SONIC'S UNCLE, MIND YOU." Explained Beta.

"Very interesting Mecha, but all this talk is making me tired. Can we arrive at Lake Valley quicker?" Coughed Sonic.

"PATIENCE HEDGEHOG. AND DON'T SAY YOU'RE WAITING, I'VE HEARD YOU SAY THAT MANY TIMES."

"Ha! You just got told off by a robot hedgehog!" Laughed Manic.

"Shaddap Bro!" Growled Sonic. "Wait, how do you know I've been saying that? You haven't been watching us on our missions, have you?"

Beta gave a slight chuckle. "I'LL ADMIT THAT THERE IS LOTS FOR YOU TO KNOW ABOUT ME, BUT YES. I'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU FOR A VERY LONG TIME HEDGEHOGS, AND I'VE DECIDED IT'S ABOUT TIME THAT FOR ONCE I ACTUALLY GOT INVOLVED WITH THE RESISTANCE!" Metallix confirmed.

However, Sonic was still a bit concerned about this robot, knowing how secretive some of Robotnik's spies had been in the past. If this robot was telling the truth, then he would be very interested in knowing anything that he may be keeping secret. Despite that, he remained silent.

"So erm, Mecha. Once this is all done and over with, can you help us find our Mother?" Asked Manic.

Beta's electronic eyes flashed.

"IT'S NO LONGER ABOUT FINDING YOUR MOTHER, HEDGEHOGS. IT'S ABOUT FIGHTING DOCTOR IVO ROBOTNIK AND HIS FORCES UNTIL WE CAN BE FREE OF HIS EVENTUAL CRUEL TYRANNY OVER MOBIUS." Replied Beta firmly, in a serious tone.

After a couple of minutes of driving, the gang finally reached Lake Valley.

"At last!" Grunted Sonic, who opened the door and climbed out of the van. "Now we can finally kick some Robotnik bu-"

KABOOM!

A massive explosion came from the village below, where Sonic could see several Mobians screaming and running for their lives as Swat Bots attacked the village and attempted to capture its residents.

"I guess the Swat Bots didn't invite us to the party." Commented Sonic.

"They're tearing apart the whole village! Stripes could be in danger!" Gasped Sonia.

"Yo sis, don't worry, we'll stop them!" Manic assured Sonia.

"THEN THERE IS NO NEED FOR PANIC. READY?" Asked Beta.

"Ready to bust some Swat Bots!" Replied Sonic.

"I'm ready as ever!" Grinned Manic.

"Me too!" Said Sonia.

"GOOD. LETS DO IT TO IT!" Cheered Beta.

Without waiting, they dashed down the cliff to greet the Swat Bots.

"PRIORITY ONE, HEDGEHOGS! CAPTURE FOR IMMEDIATE ROBOTICISATION!" Droned a nearby Swat Bot who'd spotted the Freedom Fighters.

"HOLD ON SIR, WHY IS A ROBIAN HEDGEHOG BESIDE THEM? IT DOESN'T COMPUTE. ROBIANS DO NOT WORK WITH FREEDOM FIGHTERS!" Asked another Swat Bot.

But before the Swat Bot Leader could reply, Beta turned his right hand into a laser cannon and blasted a large hole straight through both Swat Bots' chests.

All four Freedom Fighters then burst into action, using whatever attacks they could to destroy the Swat Bots.

"Hey Swat Bots! Hedgehog incoming! Make way for the coolest blue hedgehog on Mobius!"

Sonic charged at a group of Swat Bots, sending them flying up into the air before crashing and exploding on the ground.

A couple of Villagers gasped in surprise to see Sonic grinning at them.

"Th-th-th-thank you! You saved us Sonic!"

"You're welcome. But where's Stripes? Isn't he in the village?" Sonic questioned the villagers.

"He was captured by some big Robian! It headed for one of Robotnik's cruiser ships over there!"

"Ugh! Looks like I have another powerful bot to deal with. Right then. I gotta juice!"

Sonic zoomed off without any further comment, headed straight for Robotnik's cruiser.

While Sonic was busy looking for Stripes, Manic and Sonia alongside Beta had finished destroying the Swat Bots in the area, and had gathered some Villagers to evacuate.

"ALRIGHT THEN, YOU FOLKS NEED TO LEAVE THIS AREA FAST. HEAD TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF ROBOTROPOLIS AND HIDE THERE UNTIL WE ARRIVE. THERE WILL BE A CAVE THAT YOU CAN HIDE IN. UNDERSTAND?" Explained Beta.

The villagers nodded.

"RIGHT. WELL OFF YOU GO! YOU'VE GOT A LONG WALK!"

Once the villagers left, Beta turned to Manic and Sonia.

"YOU GUYS GO LOOK FOR SONIC, HE'S PROBABLY SEARCHING FOR STRIPES. IN THE MEANTIME, I WILL SORT SOME STUFF OUT IN THE VAN."

"Got it Mecha! I just hope they're both okay…" Muttered Sonia.

 **At Robotnik's cruiser…**

"Alright buddy, you better hand over Stripes, or I'm afraid I am going to have to send you back to Robotnik damaged!" Shouted Sonic at the big Robian that was entering the Cruiser.

The Robian stopped moving and turned round.

"PRIORITY ONE, HEDGEHOG!" Droned the Robian.

Sonic was shocked to see that the Robian was a familiar face: Ferrell, the foster father of Manic.

"Oh man, not you! Why can't I fight some other random Robian?!" Growled Sonic.

"HA HA HA. YOU ARE A FOOL TO TAKE ON ME RODENT. THINK OF HOW IMPRESSED DOCTOR ROBOTNIK SHALL BE WHEN I BRING YOU BACK TO HIM FOR ROBOTICISATION!" Chuckled the roboticised Ferrell.

Ferrell stepped towards his opponent, who was still surprised.

"Huh. I didn't know Robians could talk like that." Commented Sonic.

"OUR ALMIGHTY LEADER HAS ENHANCED EVERYONE ONE OF US, INCLUDING THE PROGRAMMING FOR ANY NEW ROBIAN. IT WOULD BE A PLEASURE FOR YOU TO TRY IT OUT."

"No way dude. I may not like it, but I'm gonna have to fight you!"

"THEN PREPARE TO DIE SONIC. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT YOU REFUSED ROBOTNIK'S OFFER." Growled Ferrell.

Duels tend to be one of the most complex and tough tasks to do as a Freedom Fighters, and from Uncle Chuck's training, Sonic knew what to do.

Ferrell attacked first, but Sonic had no trouble dodging a simple laser attack.

Always let your opponent attack first, Uncle Chuck had said to him.

While that sounded ridiculous to Sonic at first, he soon understood why: Attacking the opponent first would be a cocky move, seeing that it would see your attack was coming, and easily block or counter-attack.

Sonic then made his move starting with a simple strategy of finding his opponent's weakness to temporarily put the Robian out of commission.

But his Sonic Punch was ineffective for damaging Ferrell, so he would have to rely on other moves for damage.

Ferrell, unsurprisingly, was very strong with his large muscular body, meaning his claws could lift up boulders to throw straight at Sonic.

Trying to use the boulders to his advantage, Sonic used his spin attack to launch one back at Ferrell, but it was no use; the boulders were smashed by the Robian's claws.

"HA HA HA HA-" Droned Ferrell with no emotion whatsoever.

But before Ferrell could finish laughing in his robotic voice, Sonic used this opportunity to use his spin attack on the chest of his opponent.

"GARGH!" Scowled Ferrell electronically. "POWER AT 97%. RECHARGING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE."

It seemed to Sonic that while his Spin Attack could damage Ferrell slightly, the damage could easily be cleared up by the Robians' systems in a few seconds.

Ferrell returned to attacking Sonic, but instead used powerful punches instead of laser blasts or throwing boulders, which managed to injure Sonic quite a bit.

As Sonic quickly recovered, an anticipated punch from Ferrell came, which Sonic blocked in a flash.

The more times Sonic tried defending himself, the more he struggled to damage Ferrell.

But then Ferrell tried to charge towards Sonic, who'd been knocked onto the ground.

Fortunately for Sonic, the Robian's small legs slowed the muscular body down, allowing Sonic to dodge with ease.

It then hit him.

The only way to stop Ferrell now was to attack his legs, topple him over, and then send the finishing blow to temporarily shut the Robian down.

Sonic leaped straight onto the raft leading up to the Cruiser, then let Ferrell dive at him.

And so Sonic finished the duel with his clever strategy, and so the Robian shut down unintentionally.

Sonic stared down at his Brother's roboticised foster parent and said; "Sorry bud, but I had to do that, so I can save Stripes."

With Ferrell 'knocked out' for the time being, Sonic dashed into the Cruiser to rescue Stripes.

 **Back at the Village, a few minutes later…**

"Ah! There he is!" Pointed out Manic.

Sonic was carrying the unconscious Stripes through the Village, where Sonia and Manic were looking for him.

"Stripes!" Gasped Sonia. "Is he alright?!"

"He'll be fine Sonia; just let some of the Villagers I've released from the Cruiser take care of him." Sonic replied promptly.

Once Stripes was handed over to some of the Villagers, the Sonic Underground headed back to the Van.

"HEDGEHOGS!" Called Beta. "I'M AFRAID I HAVE BAD NEWS. ROBOTNIK LAUNCHED HIS SECOND MISSILE AND DESTROYED SPEEDSTER ISLAND!"

"No way! Speedster Island too?!" Said Sonic, shocked.

"But why?" Asked Sonia.

"Wait, of course! The Guardians! He didn't want them to be used against him!" Suggested Manic.

"INDEED. BUT NOW WE MUST ADD SPEEDSTER ISLAND TO THE LIST OF AREAS WE MUST AVENGE. FOR NOW ROBOTNIK IS CLOSING IN THE LOCATIONS OF ALL RESISTANCE CELLS IN ROBOLAND." Explained Beta.

He then opened the Van's door and walked in.

"COME! WE MUST NOW HEAD TO THE NEXT LOCATION, PORT MOBIUS!"

 **END OF EPISODE 4.**


	5. Robotnik's Revenge Part 3

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 _ **Sonic Underground: The Continuation**_

 _ **Season 3 Episode 5: Robotnik's Revenge Part 3**_

 **In the SU Camper Van…**

A couple of days ago, the evil Doctor Ivo Robotnik had launched a missile which destroyed the birthplace of the Sonic Underground; Mobodoon.

Rescued from capture at a Swat Bot facility by their new ally Metallix Beta, the gang were now travelling to different parts of Roboland to save citizens/villagers and recruit them to the Resistance, to fight against Robotnik and his imminent rule over Mobius.

And while on their way to Port Mobius I, the next location that Robotnik planned to invade for his conquest of parts of Roboland that still stood against him, Sonic and Beta were taking some time off by playing an intense game of Chess.

"AHEM." Spoke Beta, clearing his robotic throat. "QUEEN TO D3."

Scratching his head, Sonic thought carefully about his next move, before moving his Rook. "Rook to D1." Sonic muttered.

Manic, who was sitting on his part of the Van's bunk bed, watching the two play the game, while Sonia was in the driver's seat. "Yo bro, you sure that'll help?" Asked Manic.

Sonic, who was already frustrated from the game, turned to his Brother; "Quiet Manic! I'm trying to concentrate!" He snapped, and soon resumed the game.

"HMM…" Pondered Beta. "KING TO E2."

Sonic growled in frustration, at this rate, he wasn't too sure who would win. "Erm…Rook to C1, I think." And slowly moved his Rook onto C1.

Beta gave out a quiet robotic chuckle. "PAWN TO F3." He seemed to be making these moves with the precise idea of what would happen every time, seeing as he was an expert at Chess.

"Bishop to C5." Grunted Sonic.

"ROOK TO G7. TAKE THAT SONIC!" Grinned Beta, even though his robotic mouth couldn't move, so only the movement of his eyes could tell Sonic that he was grinning.

Having lost a Pawn, Sonic thought even harder about the following move he would make. "Rook to C4!" Jeered Sonic.

Now Beta had lost a pawn.

"I suppose we're even?" Asked Sonic cockily.

"ONLY WITH ONE LOST PAWN EACH FROM THE LAST TWO MOVES." Returned Beta. Explanations were his speciality, even if the info sounded very much like it was read straight off paper with little emotion.

Next, Beta made his move. "ROOK TO D7." He mumbled.

Sonic became frustrated again. "Rook to E4…" Grunted Sonic, pulling his spikes.

Afterwards, the robotic hedgehog took no time to process thoughts as he grabbed his King. "KING TO F1. HM.."

Sonic sighed and spoke; "Bishop to D4."

Beta chuckled and moved his Pawn. "PAWN TO F2."

He then looked at two of his Pawns next to Sonic's king and firmly told him the result. "CHECKMATE!" Boomed Beta triumphantly.

Sonic growled in frustration before face palming. "Darn it! I've lost again! How can I possibly hope to beat a robot at Chess?! You're made for this sort of thing!"

Beta chuckled and stood up to walk up to Sonia. "TRUE SONIC, BUT EVEN CERTAIN ROBOTS CAN BE BEATEN AT CHESS. YOU JUST NEED TO TRY GET BETTER BY PLAYING WITH SOMEONE ELSE. HEH HEH!"

"Yeah but I'll never beat you." Grumbled Sonic.

"CHEER UP HEDGEHOG, YOUR UNCLE CHUCK ONCE BEAT ME IN A CHESS MATCH LIKE THIS. AND MY REACTION WAS SIMILAR TO YOURS! YOU'LL LEARN." Replied Beta.

Manic, who had watched the entire game, yawned again, before starting to talk to Sonia. "Hey sis, how close to Port Mobius are we?"

Sonia, who was still busy driving, sighed. "Even though I'm tired you asking me many times Manic Hedgehog, we've almost arrived."

Manic then leaped off the bed and exclaimed; "Cool! It's been a while! I wonder if Captain Squeegee can help us."

"I'M NOT TOO SURE WHY MANIC, BUT I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE IN FOR A SURPRISE…" Muttered Beta.

 **Later, at Port Mobius…**

"Now this isn't right at all!" Examined Sonic. The whole Port was empty, with no citizen or Robotnik robot in sight.

"SUSPICIOUS INDEED, SONIC." Beta agreed.

The first time the Underground had been to Port Mobius was when they heard rumours of a "Queen Aleena" being at the Port, when it simply turned out to be the Showboat of a Resistance Cell leader named Captain Squeegee. They'd helped him stop Doctor Robotnik's plan to scare the citizens into working for him by destroying the 'Moby Deep' submarine that was meant to frighten the citizens.

Sonic had even gotten a bit of help from the actual Moby Deep, which turned out to be a shy whale. But now, it made no sense that all the citizens would be gone, and no Swat Bots or Robians were roaming around, as Robotnik certainly wasn't dumb enough to not leave security.

"We'll just have to look around then! I hope the Resistance Cell here is okay!" Spoke Sonia, worried slightly.

Sonic folded his arms and grinned cockily. "Ha! This'll be no biggie! Right Mecha?" Commented Sonic.

"DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN HEDGEHOGS. THIS COULD VERY WELL BE A TRAP." Replied the serious Beta.

But Sonic had already sped off. "HE ALWAYS RUNS OFF, DOESN'T HE?" Sighed Beta electronically.

"You're telling me?" Exclaimed Sonia, who was getting quite used to Sonic's silly antics.

"Come on guys!" Called Manic. "We might want to check the Dock!"

While the other three searched the Dock, Sonic looked around the main Town. "HELLOOOOOO?! ANYONNNEEE THERREEE?" Shouted Sonic as his voice echoed through the empty Town.

No reply.

"Huh. This is Mondo weird. Looks like nobody's home." He frowned, and zoomed up to the biggest house and examined the front door, which had been smashed to pieces, allowing Sonic to enter.

Unfortunately it was pitch black inside, so he couldn't see anything. "Woah! Who switched off the lights in here?" He muttered.

 _CRUNCH_. Sonic realised that he'd just stepped on broken shards of glass, which he could guess were scattered over the floor. One thing for sure, there had been a fight, a struggle of some sort. Looking around the darkness of the house more, he spotted a small amount of light coming from above. He then carefully treaded up some stairs he could feel and found a broken window, which was where the light was coming from. "Hm. Anything odd outside?"

Peering out of the window, Sonic searched for any sign of suspicious activity, but still, nobody else seemed to be in the Port; "Huh. Guess not." Then, suddenly Sonic saw a small Cruiser near another one of the Port's docks, sailing towards the Port.

"Well, well. Now that's interesting! Maybe there are some resistance dudes aboard!" Thought Sonic.

 **Aboard the Cruiser…**

Several Port Mobius Resistance members steadily worked at the controls of the Cruiser, trying to make sure it was safe to dock at the Port. "Nobody's here Sir! I think the coast is clear!" Reported an Observer to the Captain.

"Good job Mister Dankun. Now I just need to alert the crew." Replied the Captain, who then walked up to a special microphone on a hook, then lifted it off and spoke into it.

"Attention. This is your Captain. We've almost arrived safely at Port Mobius, so prepare for docking. Once we arrive, we will search the area for any sign of our fellow Resistance Members, primarily Captain Squeegee, who we received a distress call from. Thank You."

Once he placed the microphone back on the hook, he came up to the main Radio Operator;"Franc, contact the Cell from Annes." He promptly ordered.

"Yes Captain." Replied the Radio Operator. He flicked a couple of switches and placed some headphones around his head.

"Annes, this is Mobius 235. I repeat. This is Mobius 235. Are you receiving me? Over."

A reply crackled through the Radio. "Mobius 235, Roger. This is Annes. Over."

"Annes, we have almost arrived at Port Mobius. Over." The Radio Operator spoke back through the microphone on his headset.

"Affirmative. Keep moving towards the secondary dock. Over." The slightly muffled voice returned from the speakers.

 **At Annes…**

The main FF Radio Operator at Annes, a city elsewhere in Roboland, was busy checking the radar scope to see if the Cruiser was safe to dock at Port Mobius. "Hold on! The scope is picking up something from under the sea!" Reported the Operator, quickly talking back to the Cruiser's own Radio Operator; "Annes to Mobius 235. I repeat. Annes to Mobius 235. There's something coming up from the sea, and it is very close to you! Over."

"This is Mobius 235. There's nothing on our scopes. Where about is it? Over." Crackled in the Radio Operator for Mobius 235.

"It's a couple of meters to the right of you. Still underneath the sea. Over."

"CRRRRRRRR…." Only static could be heard as a reply from Mobius 235 for a moment.

"Annes to Mobius 235. There seems to be some interference. Can you tell what is happening there? Over."

"CRRRR-The ship i-it's sha-kkkinggg-we ar-rrrr-being dra-g-g-g-g-g-e-e-d-d-d –underwat-CRRRRR."

"Mobius 235, repeat that please. Over."

"We a-CRRRR….-R-e-CRRRRR…-BeINg-CRRRR…..-SuCkE-D-D-D-D-iNtO-tHe-CRRRRRRRR…..-CRRRRR…-ThInG FrOm-CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…."

"Mobius 235! We are receiving more interference, please explain your situation quickly! Over!"

"SURRENDER OUTLAWS-CRRRRRR…..-HeLp!-YOU AR-CRRRRRRRRRRRR….-LeT gO oF-CRRRRRRRRRR….-ARRES-T-FROM-CRRRRRRR…..-DOCTOR IV-CRRRRRRRRR…-O ROBOTN-hElP!-CRRRRRRR….-IK. PREPAR-FO-CRRRRRRRR…..OuR CrUiSeR Is BeIn-CRRRR…"

"Annes to Mobius 235! What is happening to your Cruiser!? I repeat! I repeat! What is happening to your Cruiser!?"

"HeLp Us!-CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…-SwAt bOtS-CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…-PREPARE FO-ROBOTICISA-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-CRRRRRR…-OuR cReW- iS bEiNg CaPtUrEd!-CRRRRRRRRRRRRRR….-ThE LiNe Is BeInG Cu-" Boomed a variety of crackled sounds and voices from the speakers on the radio, including lots of signal interference.

There was a spark from the Radio, then the Radio Operator could hear nothing but static once again. And so the stunned Operator turned to the Resistance Cell leader and reported; "Sir, we've lost contact with them. They must have been captured!"

The Cell Leader was astounded. "But how? And that's not our only problem. Renee hasn't even reported back since last night! Where is she?!"

"Oh I think can answer that, Freedom Fighter!" Spat out a voice of a Mobian Wolf wearing battle armour, whom surprised the Annes Freedom Fighters with his sudden appearance.

"She's just having an appointment with our best Doctor, and your lord and master! SWAT BOTS! CAPTURE THEM AT ONCE!" Continued the Wolf, pointing towards the others in the room as the shadows of large and tall Overlander-like robots towered over them, their stun lasers making quick work of their targets...

 **Back at Port Mobius…**

"VERY CURIOUS INDEED!" Beta, Manic and Sonia were all inspecting the main dock, where much to their confusion, they discovered that the Queen Aleena showboat had disappeared.

"I don't understand! How can they just vanish like that? There's no sign of any of the boats sinking!" Observed Sonia.

"I know, right?" Commented Manic. "By the way, where do you think Sonic's gone to?"

"Well he should be back here soon, if he knows what's good for him! Arghhhhhh…" Grumbled Sonia.

Beta stepped closer to the edge of the dock and peered at the water.

SCANNING OCEAN…

NO WRECKAGE DETECTED.

SECONDARY SCAN…

SHARDS OF METAL DETECTED.

SCANNING SHARDS…

SCAN COMPLETE.

Beta stepped back from the water.

"THERE ARE SOME SHARDS OF METAL DOWN THERE. AND THEY'RE THE SAME TYPE OF METAL ROBOTNIK USES TO BUILD MANY OF HIS TRANSPORTATION CRAFTS." Reported Beta.

"Wait. You don't think…" Gasped Sonia.

"Robotnik's built some kind of submarine?" Suggested Manic.

"NOT A SIMPLE SUBMARINE, NO. BUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT." Replied Beta. "I'D SAY SOMETHING LIKE A GIANT TANKER."

Suddenly, a couple of crates nearby smashed open, revealing Swat Bots to have been inside them. Beta and the two Hedgehogs jumped, as the Bots marched towards them.

"I WAS RIGHT. THIS WAS A TRAP!" Grunted Beta.

"SURRENDER OUTLAWS. YOU ARE UNDER ARREST BY ORDER OF DOCTOR ROBOTNIK." Droned every one of the Swat Bots.

"WHO EVER SAID I'M AN OUTLAW?" Muttered Beta.

"YOU WILL SURRENDER AND BE ROBOTICISED, OR BE DESTROYED. SURRENDER!" The Swat Bots mindlessly repeated their usual taunts.

"Run!" Gasped Manic.

As the three Freedom Fighters made their escape, Sonic was heading back to the Van.

 **Back at the SU Camper Van…**

Sonic scratched his head. "Well, that was very odd. That Cruiser literally sunk under water! Mondo weird!"

He kicked a stone before sitting down to think more about what he'd seen. "Well actually, it didn't look like it was sinking at all. It seemed to somehow get sucked underwater…" Thought Sonic to himself. "Wait a second. Of course! So that's how everyone must have disappeared! Egg-Breath's plans are getting sneakier than ever!"

Unknown to the Blue Hedgehog, however, a Swat Bot was hiding behind the van, with a stun blaster. "I better warn the others. We have got to-" The former Prince was saying to himself, just as the Swat Bot took aim..

BANG! The Swat Bot shot Sonic with the stun blaster straight on the head, causing the Hedgehog to fall unconscious. It then picked the Freedom Fighter up, before switching a comlink on its right arm, to contact Robotnik.

"OUTLAW SUCCESSFULLY SUBDUED. RETURNING TO TRANSPORT IMMEDIATELY." Reported the Swat Bot to Robotnik.

"Eggsellent! I will be waiting to greet the Spikeball, before his imminent fate! Heh, Heh, Heh!" Chucked Robotnik.

Switching off the comlink, the Swat Bot carried Sonic towards a Military style jeep. "OI! YOU!" Shouted a robotic voice from nearby.

The Swat Bot turned round to see the three Freedom Fighters, Metallix Beta, Manic and Sonia, climbing up the hill, while being pursued by more Swat Bots. The Jeep instantly sped off, with its driver not content in giving up its hostage.

"That Bot's captured Sonic! We can't let him get away!" Spoke Sonia.

Dodging the laser fire from the pursuing Swat Bots, Beta and the hedgehogs dashed into the Camper Van, and began their chase after the Jeep. Beta wasted no time putting the Van at its highest gear, allowing them not to stay too far behind the jeep.

Unfortunately, the Swat Bot had noticed that it was being chased, so it too changed its vehicle's speed. "WHY YOU…" Muttered Beta, as he saw the jeep zoom off.

In frustration, Beta continued to drive the Van in the direction of the jeep, when he suddenly heard gunfire. Beta looked at the right rear view mirror to see another vehicle, which was chasing them. It was another jeep, with a couple of Swat Bots and a Weasel with a machine gun.

The Weasel smirked, as if he knew Beta had noticed them. "LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT TROUBLE. HOLD ON!" Beta told Manic and Sonia.

The Weasel fired the machine gun like crazy, almost hitting the back the van, which swerved as Beta turned it as hard he could.

"Cough…Cough…Mecha, careful!" Coughed Sonia.

"NOW DON'T TELL ME HOW TO DRIVE, I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!" Growled Beta.

Driving the van up a road on a slightly steep hill, Beta kept checking if their pursuers were still behind them; sure enough, they were. The Weasel grinned maniacally as he fired non-stop at the Van, and managed to send a couple of bullets into the back of the vehicle. "WE'RE NOT FINISHED YET. HOLD ON HEDGEHOGS!" Requested Beta.

The Weasel chuckled as he saw the Van reach the top of the hill, and signalled the Swat Bots to drive faster. Then, Manic looked through the Van's front window and gasped. "Look out Mecha! Tight corners!"

"I KNOW, I KNOW! I CAN SEE-WOAH!" In the nick of time, Beta turned the Van to avoid a cliff face. Still dodging the Weasel's gunfire from the pursuing Jeep, Beta spotted a downhill slope on the road. He next lowered the speed of the Van slightly before driving down. The Weasel's jeep, which was still going really fast, bounced off the road at the top of the slope and landed with a crunch on the slope itself. The Swat Bots in the jeep then struggled to maintain the speed of the vehicle, as well as when trying to turn, they skidded and smashed some posts off the cliff.

The Weasel then put down his gun in anger and tried to sort out the problem himself, trying to get the Swat Bot to allow him to take control of the wheel, but this caused them to lose control just a moment before the jeep drove off the road and plummeted into the ocean below, the waves consuming the vehicle with its almighty strength.

Beta gave a slight chuckle to himself, before focusing on the road again. "Let's just… Hope…. That's all…The trouble…." Murmured Sonia, who looked a bit dizzy.

Manic didn't really have any to say though. He was too busy trying to recover from what had just happened. Beta looked as far he could for the Jeep that was being driven by the Swat Bot captor of Sonic, but the Van seemed to be too far behind for the jeep to be seen.

"WHERE ON MOBIUS IS IT?" Wondered Beta, as drove onto the other road to where a forest was supposed to be. But surprisingly, there was no sign of any huge trees, apart from a couple of burnt stumps.

"ROBOTNIK'S BEEN BUSY. I CAN SEE HE HATES NATURE A LOT." The robot Hedgehog observed.

Manic looked mad after hearing Beta say that. "Well, that just makes me want to kick some Buttnik butt even more!" He growled.

Then, Sonia stood up and took a look through the window. "Hey! There it is!" She exclaimed, pointing to a vehicle in the distance. "It's taking the shortest route!"

"GOOD EYE SONIA! WE'LL GET 'IM THIS TIME!" Beta complimented Sonia. As the Freedom Fighters followed the Jeep by also taking the Shortest Route, where they would be heading down the mountain, the Swat Bot in the Jeep grabbed an explosive from a compartment in the vehicle, then threw it onto a bridge it had just crossed.

Manic frowned as he looked through the window, after him and Sonia both sat in the other seats next to Beta. "What's that smoke on the bri-"

He was cut off by the sound of an explosion, meaning the explosive had detonated, destroying the bridge as a result. "Darn it! That Swat Bot destroyed the Bridge! Now how are we supposed to get across?!" Moaned Sonia.

Manic took a look at nearby road signs, and spotted another route, which was longer. Beta thought otherwise, however. "HMM. NO, IT'S FAR TOO LONG. WE'LL JUST HAVE JUST HAVE TO TAKE THE SHORTEST ROUTE, THE HARD WAY!" The Mechanical Hedgehog thought to himself in his computer brain.

Beta grabbed hold of the steering wheel firmly, and slammed down on the acceleration pedal, not even attempting to slow down whatsoever! "Wait, no! Mecha! What on Mobius are you doing?!" The confused Manic questioned his robot friend, before realising what Beta was about to do.

The Green Hedgehog turned to Sonia, who looked just as surprised. Bracing themselves for the upcoming event, the two stunned Hedgehogs gasped as Beta drove the Van as fast as possible towards the edge of the destroyed bridge. "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Screamed both Manic and Sonia, clutching their heads in fright.

Because the cliff that the Bridge connected from was so high up, the Van used gravity to its advantage, as the mechanical hedgehog was certain there was enough distance to land with ease.

SWOOSH! By Miracle, the wheels made contact with the rocky terrain once more before Beta continued to drive the Van across the road like normal, as if nothing had happened. "Woah, man! That was amazing! Crazy, but amazing!" Chuckled Manic.

Sonia however, was completely shocked. "Oh no! Look what that just did to my hair! Now it's ruined!" She grumbled, trying to brush it back into its normal shape.

"YOU CAN WORRY ABOUT YOUR PRECIOUS HAIRSTYLE LATER SONIA. RIGHT NOW, WE NEED TO RESCUE POOR SONIC FROM THAT SWAT BOT!" Snapped Beta.

It took a while to get any close to the jeep, which seemed to be heading for the Ocean for some reason. "Is that Swat Bot crazy? If it drives into the Water, it will sink and Sonic will drown!" Manic pointed out.

Still driving towards the Jeep, which was so close to the Ocean, Beta noticed something rising up. "I THINK WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT!" He exclaimed.

Both the Jeep and the Van drove into a hole on a metal surface of what appeared to be a Tanker, but the hole's doors suddenly closed, shutting them in.

"I WAS AFRAID THAT MIGHT HAPPEN…" The mechanical hedgehog sighed electronically, before a speaker poked out from the walls of the dark room of the Tanker.

"SURRENDER OUTLAWS, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST BY ORDER OF DOCTOR ROBOTNIK. DROP AND DISABLE ANY WEAPONS YOU HAVE, AND EXIT THE VEHICLE, OR YOUR FRIEND SHALL BE ROBOTICISED IMMEDIATELY." Droned the generic voice of a Swat Bot through the speaker.

Beta opened the Van's door with some hesitation.

"We've got no choice. We can't risk losing Sonic at a time like this." Sighed Sonia.

"AGREED." Grunted Beta. Slowly walking out of the Van, the three Freedom Fighters watched as lights turned on, and a Swat Bot entered the Room. Behind it, the other Swat Bot grabbed the unconscious Sonic and carried him into the next area of the Tanker.

"Ughhh..My head…What just happened?" He moaned, as he regained consciousness.

"SILENCE. YOU ARE UNDER ARREST BY ORDER OF THE GREAT ROBOTNIK." Spoke the Swat Bot.

"Great. Time for another climatic encounter with old lard-belly. Woo hoo." Grumbled Sonic.

Meanwhile, the Swat Bot in the room with the captured Van gave orders to Beta, Manic and Sonia. "PUT YOUR HANDS UP WHERE I CAN SEE THEM." It Ordered.

The three quickly obeyed. "NOW FOLLOW ME. NO FALSE MOVES OR YOUR FRIEND GETS IT."

Following the Swat Bot into the next area, the FFs looked around. "Woah. This seems to be some sort of prison for Freedom Fighters!" Gasped Manic.

In the gigantic main lobby of the Tanker, there was several prison cells with Freedom Fighters trapped in them, all watching simultaneously as the Hedgehogs and their Robotic ally were taken towards the big man himself, Doctor Ivo Robotnik. He was standing with a group of Swat Bots, with Sonic in front of him, looking in anger at the evil Dictator. Though the Freedom Fighters had gotten a glimpse of him on a monitor a couple of days ago, the vile leader appeared to have changed his appearance, making him now wear a different, smaller version of his outfit from before, apparently de-roboticise his arms and ditch the red cape he usually wore.

"Ah! Welcome Hedgehogs! I was just greeting your pest of a Brother!" Sneered the Moustached Man, pulling up his blue glasses, to reveal dastardly red eyes.

Manic and Sonia didn't reply. "No comment eh? Heh heh. Well soon you'll do whatever I want you to do! After your roboticisation, that is." The obese Overlander grinned maniacally. He next spoke to Beta.

"Ah, so you are that robotic fiend that destroyed my pipeline eh? Well, my Metallic friend, there's no rescuing or sabotaging for you to do here now. It is a shame you didn't decide to work for me. You could be a part of my new Robian Elite Fighters! Robian or not, you would fit in your most interesting knowledge."

"DO NOT TRY TO BLACKMAIL ME DOCTOR. WHAT USE WOULD I HAVE IN SERVING YOU?" Beta informed the cruel Dictator.

"Why, a purpose! A purpose that will give you far more opportunities in your existence! What more can a machine ask for aside from purpose? You are a machine, just like my Swat Bots and Robian servants! You'd fit among them!" Replied Robotnik firmly.

The mechanical Hedgehog did not reply, but instead a snarling robotic noise of distaste and neglect. Robotnik just chuckled, amused but disappointed at the robot's choice. "Heh, heh, heh. Such a shame. Then I will just have to let my Swat Bots destroy you."

The Dictator then walked towards an electronic screen on a stand, showing a diagram of a Missile, that looked a lot like the Missiles that Robotnik had launched before. "The final missile has been prepared. I will launch it from here and finally wipe out any remaining menaces that have pathetically tried to stop me! OHO HO HO! And once they're gone, I won't have any threats being posed against me! And by the time you Freedom Fighters see me again, you'll be my most obedient Robians!"

Robotnik next turned to a Swat Bot General who was standing beside him. "General! Prepare to launch the Missile to The Land of The Clouds! It is time we wiped out the last of the Oracle's servants!" Ordered the Fat Man.

"YES SIR." Droned the Swat Bot General. Then Robotnik walked off with his Swat Bot group and chuckled; "It's been fun Freedom Fighters, but I'm afraid it is most certainly GAME OVER for you! Ta ta!"

Once Robotnik had left the Tanker in a Hovercraft of some kind, the remaining Swat Bots in the room ordered the new prisoners including the Sonic Underground and Metallix Beta to move into their cells. "Oh man! I can't believe it! We've got to stop that Missile! But how?" Moaned Sonic.

 **END OF EPISODE 5.**


	6. Robotnik's Revenge Part 4

Note: The songs 'Back in Time' and 'Diamond in the Sky' from the game Sonic R are by Richard Jacques and were performed for the game by TJ Davis.

* * *

 **RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 _ **Sonic Underground: The Continuation**_

 _ **Season 3 Episode 6: Robotnik's Revenge Part 4**_

Things couldn't be worse.

The Sonic Underground, alongside their ally; Metallix Beta, had been captured by Robotnik's forces inside an enormous tanker, where a large prison for Freedom Fighters had been built.

And now Robotnik had prepared the final part of his scheme to conquer the main land masses, so all he had to do now, was launch the final missile.

"The final missile has been prepared. I will launch it from here and finally wipe out any remaining menaces that have pathetically tried to stop me! OHO HO HO! And once they're gone, I won't have any threats being posed against me! And by the time you Freedom Fighters see me again, you'll be my most obedient Robians!"

Robotnik next turned to a Swat Bot General who was standing beside him. "General! Prepare to launch the Missile to The Land of The Clouds! It is time we wiped out any of the Oracle's servants!" Ordered the Fat Man.

"YES SIR." The General saluted its master.

Then Robotnik walked off with his Swat Bot group and chuckled; "It's been fun Freedom Fighters, but I'm afraid it is most certainly GAME OVER for you! Ta ta!"

Once Robotnik had left the Tanker in a Hovercraft of some kind, the remaining Swat Bots in the room ordered the new prisoners including the Sonic Underground and Metallix Beta to move into their cells.

"Oh man! I can't believe it! We've got to stop that Missile! But how?" Moaned Sonic.

"KEEP MOVING OUTLAW." Ordered a Swat Bot guard, who then poked Sonic in the back with the laser cannon on its arm.

As the Sonic Underground was being escorted to separate cells, Metallix Beta, who was also being escorted to a cell, managed to get close to Sonic and whispered some important information into his ears; "Sonic. Listen. From what I conclude, this Tanker is most likely headed for Robotropolis, so there's a chance for you to escape!"

"What do ya mean Mecha?" Sonic whispered back, hoping no Swat Bots would notice them talking.

"Listen very carefully. Each cell block has a ventilation shaft in the very first cell. If my calculations are correct, you'll be placed in the first cell of the block. Wait till we reach Robotropolis. Hopefully, when the Swat Bot guards aren't looking, you can escape through a shaft and go into the pipe system. Make your way through it until you can find the way out of the Tanker. Then get to the Command Centre and find the long range controls for the Tanker. You've got until 7 O'clock. You know what to do next!"

Beta quietly slipped a silver watch onto Sonic's right hand without being noticed, before the Swat Bot escorting him ordered the robotic hedgehog to turn the other way.

Confused, but confident, Sonic looked at the time on the watch; it was exactly 4:37. "Looks like I've got less than three hours. Darn." Sonic thought to himself.

Later, in his cell, Sonic was constantly checking his watch. 5:09. Not at Robotropolis yet. 5:20. Still not there. 5: 49. Sonic was beginning to get impatient. Tapping his left foot, Sonic waited and waited.

Eventually, a notice was sent through the speakers of the Prison sector of the Tanker; "ATTENTION ALL SWAT BOTS. WE HAVE ARRIVED AT ROBOTROPOLIS. PREPARE THE ROBOTICISATION CHAMBERS FOR THE PRISONERS."

Then, Sonic heard that some Swat Bot were opening the doors of each cell, pointing a blaster at the prisoners, while all saying the same words.

"YOU WILL BE TAKEN FOR ROBOTICISATION. MAKE NO FALSE MOVES, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED." Echoed the robotic voices of Swat Bots in the Sector simultaneously.

"Now's my chance." The blue Hedgehog solidified to himself and climbed up onto the bed in the cell, and pulled out the hatch of the ventilation shaft. Next, he squeezed himself into the shaft, before placing the hatch carefully back into place, hoping that nearby Swat Bots wouldn't think he'd used the shaft to escape.

It was almost pitch black inside the pipes, with only minimal light shining through the gaps. Sonic crawled slowly and tiredly through the long pipes, ignoring the intimidating atmosphere of the sounds that he could throughout the place.

Yet he was going through these pipes blindly, with little sense of direction to guide to him to a vent shaft that could allow him to escape the Tanker. Nevertheless, the determined blue hedgehog kept his spirits high and continued moving.

He paused at a bend in the pipe, which he carefully attempted to climb his down. There was little framework on the pipe that he could step onto as if they were ledges, so it was easy to fall.

Suddenly, he heard a loud, rushing noise coming from above. He stared upwards to see water heavily flowing through, which was bound to drown him.

Panicking, Sonic climbed down even faster, hoping to not even let the water touch a single hair on his blue fur. Without warning though, he lost his footing on the framework and plummeted down to the next bend in the pipe.

CLANG! "Owwwhf!" Moaned Sonic in pain, having hurt his back a bit in the fall. Doing his best to ignore the pain, he tried to crawl quickly in order to escape the flowing water, but it was too late.

With the cold and dark feel of the water all over him, he was pushed hard by the currents, all the way through the pipes. Gasping for air, the former Prince tried to find a gap of air to breathe through, but the whole pipe as filled.

"Don't drown Sonic. Not now. You're way too cool to drown!" He thought to himself. It was no use paddling as he simply couldn't swim, so there was only one thing for it; to hold his breathe as long as possible.

Down and forwards and down and forwards and so on, did Sonic go flowing through the rushing water. The experience happened surprisingly fast but remained quite painful.

But finally, much to his relief, he was pushed by the currents straight into a ventilation shaft hatch, which he grabbed onto hard and used all of his strength to pull out. At last, he was pushed through the gap by the current of the water straight onto a small docking bay, outside Robotropolis.

He could hear festival music for some reason, going on in the background. Despite that, he breathed a sigh of relief and got up. "Boy. I am not doing that again! I may be Way Past Cool, but even the world's fastest hedgehog ain't gonna go for another water ride anytime soon!"

With that, he manoeuvred his way into Robotropolis. Quietly slipping through the crowds of several citizens watching some kind of fancy parade, Sonic checked his wet (and apparently waterproof) watch to see what the time was; 6:07. He had less than an hour!

He walked up to a nearby aristocrat, who was busy watching the parade like everyone else in the crowds. "Hey, bud." The former Prince tapped the aristocrat's shoulder.

"What is it, you little barbarian? I'm trying to enjoy myself here, if you don't mind!" Answered the Aristocrat.

"Oh come on guv, all I want to know is; what exactly is going on here?" Asked Sonic impatiently.

"Why It's Robotnik's new parade! He may be using it as a symbol of his power. But I'm sure you'd be surprised at what else he's done with it; he allowed music for once!" The Aristocrat explained irritably before he turned back to observe the parade.

"That doesn't sound like Robotnik." Thought Sonic. "Must be part of his plan to capture and roboticise all of the citizens!"

Continuing his journey to reach the Command Centre, Sonic became more and more worried about how much time he had left. Little did he know, Sleet and members of the newly formed Robian Fighter Squad were on the roof of a nearby warehouse.

"Hm. So far so good." Observed Sleet. "The citizens are completed distracted by the parade! Soon Robotnik can take them by surprise!"

"SIR, LOOK! THERE IS AN OUTLAW ON THE STREET!" Pointed out one of the Robians, holding some binoculars.

"What?! Let me see!" Growled Sleet, snatching the Binoculars. He scanned through them across the nearest street, and spotted Sonic. "It's Sonic the Hedgehog! He must have escaped from the Tanker!"

"WHAT IS YOUR ORDERS SIR?" Asked the Head Robian Guard.

"You know the instructions. If a prisoner escapes from the Tanker, they must be shot!" Commanded Sleet.

"YES SIR." The roboticised minion droned mindlessly.

Both Sleet and the group of Robian Fighters climbed onto each lower roof of the buildings, tracking Sonic as he moved through the crowds. The Hedgehog had no idea that they were stalking him, but that didn't stop him from being on full alert.

Pushing passed other people, Sonic found a long and spacious street that lead straight up to the Command Centre. "Perfecto! Not too far to go now!" Grinned Sonic.

But before he was about to speed off into the crowd, a Robian Fighter from above managed to take aim with a Sniper Rifle, aimed straight at Sonic's back.

Then, the Robian accidentally gave himself away when he stepped on a cable on top of the building's roof.

Crunch!

Sonic jumped and turned round just as the Robian fired a shot. Instead of hitting him in the back, the bullet reached Sonic's left knee, causing him to gasp in pain.

"There he is!" Yelled Sleet to the other Robians as they climbed off the rooftops.

The Sniper Robian followed suite and rejoined Sleet and the other Robians.

Sonic wasted no time trying to get up and run, but his injured knee made it impossible for him to run really quickly as he normally did, so he was forced to limp his way through the Parade.

"Don't worry. With an injured knee, there's no way he can escape from us!" Chuckled Sleet.

Ignoring the pain in his knee, Sonic limped as fast as he could, pushing through the dancing parade bots, all dressed in odd clothes. Hoping that the bots would be too concentrated on dancing to notice that he was pushing past them, he dived towards the doorway of another warehouse, so he could hide while the Robians went past.

"You take the left, and you take the right! We'll stay on the main path!" Ordered Sleet to each Robian Guard.

The tired and anxious blue hedgehog wasn't out of the woods just yet. He still needed to reach the Command Centre, and if he wasn't careful he could get stuck in the parade.

"OH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!" Sonic distantly heard through the door the noise of robot clowns, whom were notorious for squeezing their red noses and throwing confetti everywhere. It was now when he decided it was the right time to come out of the warehouse.

He promptly took a fourth route; different to the ones he had heard Sleet ordering the Robians to go. "Excuse me! Pardon me! Don't mind me!" Panted Sonic as he shoved several aristocrats in the crowds out of the way.

Believing that he'd lost Sleet for good now, the blue Hedgehog stayed determined and kept taking separate routes. Beta had hinted that there were some long range controls for the Missile and the Tanker's prison cells in the Command Centre. Sneaking into it was of course something he'd done plenty of times before, but now the urgency to succeed was more obvious than ever.

With this information in mind, he now had the chance to free his siblings and the other Freedom Fighters, and then stop the missile before it could destroy the Land Of The Clouds.

Suddenly, he turned into a street to find himself face-to- face with a Swat Bot tank, much like the one he had seen in Sanctuary.

"Woah!" He gasped, skidding to a halt. Luckily for him, the Tank was just another item on display for the parade, and included a banner placed over the front, reading; THE POWER OF THE GREAT IVO ROBOTNIK, AND HIS LOYAL MECHANICAL SERVANTS.

"Gimme a break…" Muttered Sonic, immediately hiding in a street corner as the giant machine drove past.

Despite it taking at least five minutes just to get to the end of the Crowd, Sonic was pleased to see a nightclub at end of the road. "MAD GEAR CLUB"; read the sign underneath the entrance.

Inside the club, there was tons of insanely rich Mobians, having all sorts of conservations with each other, most likely comparing the amount of money they each had. At least, that's what Sonic guessed they were talking about. Coincidentally, there was a small Mobian band with drums and an electric guitar, playing like wild. This did remind him a little of the first time he'd met Manic and Sonia in a similar club, but he didn't let that completely distract him, even if the singer of the band, was singing quite a catchy tune;

" _Sometimes I ask myself_

 _What am I doin' here?_

 _I think of all the reasons_

 _But it's still not clear_

 _I look at places to go_

 _There's nothin' near_

 _So take me away from this_

 _'cause this place I'll hardly miss_

 _So take me back in time_

 _To another world_

 _When you can be mine_

 _We don't have to worry_

 _When you're by my side_

 _There's nothin' I don't know_

 _There's nothin' to decide_

 _Apart from where we want to go_

 _What am I doin' now_

 _By comin' back for more?_

 _Is it me_

 _Or have I been here before?_

 _I want to go somewhere_

 _That we can explore_

 _Just take me away from here_

 _To somewhere that's nowhere near_

 _So take me back in time_

 _To another world_

 _When you can be mine_

 _We don't have to worry_

 _When you're by my side_

 _There's nothin' I don't know_

 _There's nothin' to decide_

 _Apart from where we want to go_

 _Take me there_

 _Take me anywhere_

 _You want to go_

 _To a place that we both know_

 _So take me..._

 _So take me..._

 _So take me..._

 _So take me back in time_

 _To another world_

 _When you can be mine_

 _We don't have to worry_

 _When you're by my side_

 _There's nothin' I don't know_

 _There's nothin' to decide_

 _Apart from where we want to go_

 _Back in time..._

 _I'm goin' back in time..._

 _Back in time..._

 _So take me..._

 _Back in time..._

 _So take me..._

 _So take me..._

 _Back in time..._

 _So take me..._

 _So take me..._

 _Back in time..._

 _So take me..._

 _So take me..._

 _Back in time..._

 _So take me..._

 _So take me back in time..._

 _Back in time..._

 _Back in time..."_

While he was enjoying the music, he thought to himself; "I don't think we'll ever get the chance to play like that again. A world conquered by Robotnik has no time or place for the Sonic Underground to perform."

Eventually, Sonic wondered around the Club, keeping on the lookout for Sleet and the Robian Fighters in case they'd followed him in secret after all.

He then conveniently spotted a map of Robotropolis behind the main bar. Studying it carefully, he found that Mad Gear Club was around the middle of the city, and was practically right next to the Command Centre.

"There's gotta be some sort of secret tunnel that Swat Bots use to get in. So this cool dude will just have to see!" The blue Hedgehog cleverly observed.

Before that though, he sat down at an empty table, and used a cloth to wipe his bleeding knee. "I just hope Manic, Sonia and Beta are okay. I have got to be Mondo quick here!"

Holding his wrist up to his eyes, he peered again at his watch. It was 6:23. Only 37 minutes before the missile would launch!

And so after carefully snooping around the bar, Sonic opened the door to a storage cupboard. Strangely, it had a small pipe poking out of a hole through the shelf at the top. It extended through another hole, this time on the top of the cupboard, which stretched across the entire Club.

"Hm…Now let's see…" Said Sonic curiously. Stepping inside the cupboard, and then closing the doors behind him, he examined the pipe. First, he attempted to then knock on it five times.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Nothing happened. Scratching his head, he tried thinking of how many times he needed to tap it, which in theory would open a passage of some sort to the Command Centre.

Perhaps the amount of times you knocked had to sound like some sort of password? The first word that came to Sonic's mind was: Robotnik. Ro-bot-nik.

"Should I knock on it three times?" He wondered aloud.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. All of a sudden, the part of the floor of the cupboard that he was unsuspectingly standing on moved downwards, like some sort of lift.

"Woah! Past cool!" He cried; he'd hit the jackpot!

The lift eventually transported the intrigued Hedgehog down to a dark room with a separate door. "Alright Egg-Breath. You may not like it, but I'm gonna stop your stupid missile and free the Resistance! Here I come, old lard-belly!" Jeered Sonic to himself.

Opening the door, however, showed him the sight of TONS of Aristocrats, partying, gambling in what looked like a casino style area and doing the exact same things as what the customers in the Mad Gear Club had been doing. Using this to his advantage, Sonic swum his way through the streams of distracted aristocrats, all gambling in ridiculous ways. Despite his clever precautions, however, he wasn't alone.

Many Swat Bots were appearing around the room, quietly marching in from hallway entrances, each commandeering a hidden cannon in the walls that would fire electric nets in set locations.

The blue Hedgehog was simply unaware of the Swat Bots' presence, as they were hidden amongst the crowds of tall aristocrats, too obsessed with their pride, money and clothing, to even notice the mechanical menaces standing so close to them.

On a small balcony high up in the tall room, was a black Swat Bot, scanning the crowd below with its emotionless digital eyes, waiting to give the order for the start of "PHASE 2" of Robotnik's plan.

"ARE ALL UNITS IN PLACE?" Asked the Black Swat Bot, talking into a comlink.

"AFFIRMATIVE." Droned the reply of the Swat Bots down below, through the comlink.

"AIM WEAPONS."

"AFFIRMATIVE."

"LOCK ONTO TARGET!"

"TARGET LOCKED ONTO."

"WAIT TILL THIS UNIT GIVES THE ORDER TO FIRE, THEN CARRY OUT PREVIOUSLY BRIEFED INSTRUCTIONS FROM DR. ROBOTNIK."

"AFFIRMATIVE. AFFIRMATIVE. WE OBEY!"

When such a cheerful song was 'innocently' being sung in the background, none of the aristocrats could have a single notion that anything bad was going to happen to them, let alone being captured for roboticisation.

 _Another day is like a new beginning_

 _And so today I know that it's a new start_

 _I know the bad times are disappearing_

 _Cause now I know that we'll never be apart_

 _You're the one that makes me feel so high_

 _Just like the diamonds in the sky…._

"ALL UNITS, MOVE IN CLOSER." Ordered the Black Swat Bot, with the light in its red visor swerving from side to side as a sort of code for other bots to interpret.

 _I never want to hear you say goodbye_

 _Cause you're my diamond in the sky_

 _You're the one that makes me feel so high_

 _Just like the diamonds in the sky_

 _I never want to hear you say goodbye_

 _Cause you're my diamond in the sky_

 _Another road that we must travel_

 _Another night for you to show me the way_

STOMP. STOMP. STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.

 _And so today, I give up dreaming_

 _Cause now I know, that I need you everyday_

 _You're the one that makes me feel so high_

"ALL UNITS, PREPARE TO FIRE IN…"

 _Just like the diamonds in the sky_

 _I never want to hear you say goodbye_

 _Cause you're my diamond in the sky_

"TEN…"

 _You're the one that makes me feel so high_

 _Just like the diamonds in the sky_

"NINE…"

 _I never want to hear you say goodbye_

 _Cause you're my diamond in the sky_

"EIGHT…"

 _Where do all the rainbows go?_

"SEVEN…"

 _To somewhere I don't know_

"SIX…"

 _Wherever it is, I want to go_

"FIVE…"

 _Ohhh.._

" _FOUR.."_

 _Wherever it is I want to go_

 _Feel so high..._

 _Feel so high!_

 _You're the one that makes me feel so high_

"THREE."

 _Just like the diamonds in the sky_

 _I never want to hear you say goodbye_

 _Cause you're my diamond in the sky_

"TWO…"

 _You're the one that makes me feel so high_

 _Just like the diamonds in the sky_

" _ONE…"_

 _I never want to hear you say goodbye_

"ZERO."

"FIRE!"

 _Cause you're my diamond in th-_

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Screaming arrived almost immediately, as several Mobians were caught in the electric nets, and henceforth electrocuted into unconsciousness.

Sonic span round in surprise, before dozens of Swat Bots burst into the room, and began to try and capture the remaining aristocrats not caught in the electric nets. He wasted no time dashing with his still injured knee straight to the nearest doorway, hoping to avoid the chaos. "Of course!" Gasped Sonic. "Buttnik said it himself: Soon I will have no need for these puny aristocrats! I'll be the Dictator of MOBIUS in a matter of time!"

But this act surprised Sonic magnificently, surely his arch-nemesis needed the money to fuel the economy of his Empire?

Still, he could already imagine Robotnik chuckling in his regular evil tone, and boldly stating; "What need is there for the rich and useless, when you have the greatest power on Mobius?" Since the obese Overlander ruled the majority of the planet (and was certainly on the way to gaining control of the rest of the countries that had thus far escaped his rule), he didn't need money for himself.

But now there was no time for the Blue Blur to waste; he needed to release his fellow Resistance pals, and maybe then they could arrive in time to save thousands of Aristocrats.

6:30. There was only half an hour to go till Missile hour! Eventually reaching a lift, and quickly getting inside to select the 'Surveillance Room' button on the wall, to take him upstairs in time.

Once the lift got to the room, Sonic limped out towards the control panel. "Ok hedgehog, think. Think." He muttered to himself.

Scanning across the entire panel, Sonic searched for any sign of a button that could unlock all prison cells on board the tanker.

"Aha!" He'd found it. Pressing the button, Sonic knew that his work was almost done.

"ALL PRISON CELLS ABOARD EGG TANKER HAVE BEEN UNLOCKED." Droned a voice from the speakers in the room. Now that he'd released his friends from their cells, he needed to destroy the missile before it hit The Land of The Clouds!

Sonic and his siblings had only spent a few days in the Land during their training with the wise Monks that wandered the area. Yet, they had to be called away from the place to save a fellow Resistance Member, Trevor. Sonic hated to think what would happen to the poor Monks if they were up against a powerful and fast missile. Nevertheless, the Blue Blur continued his quest.

 **Back in the tanker….**

In his own cell, Metallix Beta waited very patiently. As soon as he moved his head up, the door to his cell slid open automatically. Then, he snuck outside to see that the same had happened to every cell. Perfect! Sonic had done it! Now it was time to escape the Tanker for good.

However, some Swat Bots began walking into the same cell block Beta was in, and lifted up their laser cannons at the terrified Resistance prisoners. Luckily for them, Beta spotted an oil barrel and rolled it the direction of the Swat Bots, knocking them down long enough for the Resistance prisoners to rush forward and throw them off the balcony!

The surprised prisoners then stared at Beta in awe. They'd been saved by a robot?

"Wh-wh-who are you?!" Asked a Lion in the crowd of prisoners.

"METALLIX BETA, AT YOUR SERVICE. NOW GO! GO SMASH SOME BOTS AND MAKE A GRAND GETAWAY LIKE YOU FOLKS NORMALLY DO!" The mechanical Hedgehog quickly introduced himself.

The prisoners were still quite confused , but nonetheless they knew that Beta was right. Promptly, they dashed off towards the stairs leading to the ground floor of the room.

Once Beta soon followed them, he discovered himself in the midst of a battle. The Swat Bot Guards were not going to let the prisoners leave the Tanker, so they were firing their laser cannons furiously. at the Resistance members.

The mechanical Hedgehog observed a group Freedom Fighters taking cover behind some more oil barrels, trying desperately to avoid every laser blast they could. In the group, were Manic, Sonia and their fellow comrade Cyrus. He hurriedly joined them by diving for cover next to the two Hedgehogs.

The group turned round to see him getting up, and ducking behind the canisters alongside them. "Mecha! You made it! How on earth did you free us?" Asked Sonia.

"I DIDN'T FREE YOU. BUT A CERTAIN BLUE HEDGEHOG MOST LIKELY HAS!" Replied Beta firmly.

"Wait, you don't mean-Sonic?!" Gasped Manic, who was also listening.

"INDEED." Beta spoke. "I GAVE HIM SOME INFO THAT HE COULD USE TO FREE US, AND I THINK HE WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE THE TANKER SOMEHOW AND GET TO THE COMMAND CENTER IN ROBOTROPOLIS TO SHUT DOWN THE LOCKS ON OUR CELLS!"

"Good job, Metallix Beta or whatever your name is." Called Cyrus. "But I think we need some help here!"

KABOM! With little luck at hitting the Freedom Fighters, the Swat Bots were beginning to throw grenades at their enemy to expose them from their cover.

"DON'T WORRY, I'LL THINK OF SOMETHING MY BOY." Nodded Beta.

The robotic hedgehog fired his machine hand at every Swat Bot in range, while ducking back behind the canisters in case the Bots fired straight at him.

"ROBOTNIK SEEMS TO BE VERY DESPERATE TO PUNISH ESCAPING PRISONERS LIKE US!" Observed Beta with curiosity.

"I agree. I'm Cyrus, by the way." Called the tough lion, who was using a special laser pistol he usually carried in his pocket.

"NICE TO MEET YOU, CYRUS." Beta acknowledged the lion, watching the two Hedgehogs beside him use the power of their medallions to transform them into weaponised instruments. This was their best form of defence for now.

 **Meanwhile, at the Command Centre in Robotropolis….**

Sonic was in trouble.

Tons of aristocrats and other Mobian citizens were running for their lives, as Swat Bots were chasing them from every floor, firing non-stop at them, and now Sonic could not make his way to the room in which the controls for the missile were.

He supposed that the regular poor Mobians would be captured for Roboticisation, but he didn't want to stop and think about it any further. The only other way to get up was by stairs.

As the Blue Blur limped up several long stairs, pushing past the running crowds, he could see that the Carnival Parade outside had stopped completely; what was going on inside the Command Centre was also happening outside.

Robotnik had turned on his own aristocrats and Robotropolis citizens, by sending as many Swat Bots as possible to bring him new unwilling volunteers for his upgraded roboticisation program, the same that had made Manic's foster father Ferrell, more powerful, as Sonic had seen recently in Lake Valley.

Sonic unfortunately, could do nothing about it at the moment. If his friends could arrive on time, they'd at least be able to rescue some of the citizens and take them to whatever secret Resistance Base was left.

"SURRENDER, ALL CITIZENS OF ROBOTROPOLIS." Snarled a familiarly evil voice from speakers in the room. "AND GIVE UP ALL HOPE IN THE NAME OF ME! THE GREAT DOCTOR IVO ROBOTNIK! YOU BOW DOWN TO ME! ALL OF YOU FLESH MOBIAN FOOLS!"

Sonic was already sick of hearing his arch nemesis' voice, so he covered his ears while going up the stairs. Much to his surprise though, when he reached the top of the stairs he came face to face with a new powerful looking robot, of a design he never seen before.

It looked similar to a Swat Bot, but appeared to be a more tougher and intelligent looking machine than what he was used to. The more skeletal facial structure was somewhat different for starters, but parts of its body reminded him of the poor rogue creation of Robotnik; A.R.T, that had been destroyed a few months ago.

"Woah. What the heck are you?!" Asked Sonic with curiosity.

The robot looked down at him with no emotion. "PROCESSING ANSWER….FIRST GENERATION ROBOTNIK TROOPER. DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR COMBAT AGAINST FREEDOM FIGHTERS. SUPERIOR TO SWAT BOTS IN MANY ASPECTS. SCANNING ENTITY…." It droned.

"SCAN COMPLETE. ENTITY CONFIRMED AS SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. ENEMY OF MASTER ROBOTNIK. SCAN SHOWS THAT ENTITY'S LEFT KNEE IS INJURED. CONCLUSION: ENTITY IS ENEMY!"

"Well about time, bozo." Sneered Sonic. "It's time I smashed some robo-butt!"

"DESTROY ALL ENEMIES OF ROBOTNIK! DESTROY! DESTROY!" Droned the Trooper.

The tall and tough looking automaton did not charge at Sonic like its Swat Bot counterparts, instead, it fired its machine gun at Sonic, carefully tracking his movements. And while the former Prince was still unable to run fast as he did due to his injured left knee, he was still good at diving away from gunfire with the help of his other limbs.

The blue blur believed he could outsmart his enemy, but he was wrong. This robot was smarter than a Robian Ferrell, and certainly more intelligent than the more mindless Swat Bots.

The Trooper had anticipated its enemy to use a punch attack, and blocked it with ease. It then threw its opponent back down onto the staircase, where it then charged towards the shaken hedgehog, while holding the machine gun.

Sonic didn't land very comfortably whatsoever. He felt a jolt on pain in his left knee immediately as he hit the stairs hard, before tumbling down a couple of steps.

He had to act fast, if he lifted himself up, he'd be mowed down by the Trooper in no time. So then he did something the Trooper was not expecting; a backflip. The determined Freedom Fighter pushed the surprised Trooper onto the stairs, landed behind it, and then kicked its head.

CLANG!

" .ERROR 101. SYSTEM DAMAGED. ATTEMPTING AUTOMATIC REPA-" The robot got cut off as its opponent grabbed the neck and threw the robot down the stairs, where it crashed, dropping its machine gun.

"Ha! Take that, junk heap! Robotnik hasn't built any bot that can beat me yet!" Jeered Sonic.

But the Trooper was still functioning, as the crash had only damaged it partially. It lifted itself up with no issues, and quickly picked up its gun. "SWITCHING WEAPON TO LASER RIFLE MODE…"

From the gun, it then fired simple laser blasts at the Hedgehog, who dodged them with ease. "Sorry bozo, but I don't feel like spending so much time with ya. Catch me if you can though!" Teased Sonic.

The mechanical menace immediately dashed up the stairs as its live target limped into another room upstairs. Once it got up the stairs, it believed that Sonic was going to ambush it, so it prepared itself.

"WEAPON READY TO FIRE AT ANY MOVING TARGET…" But as soon as the Trooper was underneath the top frame of the door to the room, the automatic door closed straight onto it, smashing the bot to pieces.

"Ah, the old trick. Not even a slightly smarter bot like you could predict that, eh?" Taunted Sonic to the remains of the Trooper.

Once he continued his way to one of the control rooms in the building, he checked the time again. It was 6:48! As much as Sonic hated to admit it, he was running out of time.

 **Back at the Tanker…**

KABOOM! Several grenades thrown by Swat Bots exploded straight in front of several Freedom Fighters, some of which were badly injured.

Metallix Beta was doing his best to help the members of the Resistance escape, but the Swat Bots were simply too strong as a force for them to break through with ease.

"WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS FOREVER!" Yelled Beta to Cyrus, Manic and Sonia. "SONIC IS COUNTING ON US TO COME AND HELP!"

"But there's no other way out of here! They've blocked all entrances!" Cried Cyrus as he was blasting Swat Bots with a laser pistol.

Manic and Sonia beside him were desperately trying to use their Medallion instruments to aid Cyrus in the battle, but even they were having trouble. "But Cyrus, Mecha has a point! We're running out of time!" Replied Sonia to Cyrus.

"Well I haven't got a single clue of what else we can do! If only we could force our way through them somehow!" Cyrus yelled, quite frustrated within the tension of the situation.

Suddenly, Beta's eyes turned white.

"CYRUS, YOU'RE A GENIUS! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED TO DO!" Bellowed Beta.

"What?!" Muttered Cyrus, still dodging laser blasts.

"THE UNDERGROUND'S VAN IS STILL IN THE TANKER! IF I COULD GET IT INTO THIS ROOM, I COULD DRIVE STRAIGHT INTO THE SWAT BOTS, RUN EM OVER, AND MAYBE WITH SOME SORT OF ATTACHMENT, I COULD BLAST THOSE DOORS OPEN!" Cried Beta.

"Are you crazy?!" Gasped Manic. "You can't just waltz our van into laser fire and explosives like that!"

"IT'S WORTH A TRY MANIC OLD CHAP! I KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN IT COMES TO STRATEGY!" Beta insisted.

Manic sighed. "Alright Mecha, go on. This better work y'know!"

Beta dashed off towards the door he and the Sonic Underground had come through into the cell area, headed for the Camper Van.

 **Meanwhile, at the top of Robotropolis' highest building…**

"Maximillian, you were always such a fool. You put such blind trust into me, believing me to be your saviour, and leaving your true allies neglected…"

Robotnik stood on the roof of the building, watching as his Swat Bots began to take control of the city for him. While he had launched a Coup D'état on Mobotropolis many years earlier and turned it into the Robotropolis of today, he still did not have as much control as he wanted. He did not want to pay for his technology to be run, or for any Aristocrats to claim money for themselves. Instead, he wanted full control of the planet, which would allow him to do whatever he wished without the concern of money.

Robotnik's dream was of a world of robots, machinery and millions of Mobian slaves serving him every day. It was a cruel dream, but one that only a mad dictator such as him would dream of.

"You never thought this is what it would come to be eh? Leaving the throne to Queen Aleena after your timely death shortly after the Great War, only for me to step in and take control! Heh heh. You never thought I would betray the Council of Acorn at all. You simply put a weak Queen in your place as your successor, trying to start a brand new royal line. But your plan has failed, Max. Now I am in charge!"

Robotnik would soon not have a worry in the world. Well, except for one; he'd heard that "blasted hedgehog" had escaped from his Tanker. And oh, how much he despised that "Spikeball".

 **Once again, in the Robotnik Tanker…**

"IT'S 6:52!" Shouted Sonia. "Come on Mecha! We're low on time here!"

Suddenly, the roaring of a vehicle was heard, and out of nowhere the Camper Van drove into the room and smashed its way off a ledge with bars and landed straight in front of the attacking Swat Bots.

Much to the surprise of the Resistance members, the Van had some kind of large shell casing tied to the front of the vehicle.

"What on Mobius?" Spoke a befuddled Cyrus.

Beta slammed straight on the pedals in the Van and drove it straight onto the Swat Bots and towards the door.

CRASH!

The Van with its attachment hit the door with an immense crash, sending pieces of metal flying as it smashed through. In the chaos, some of the Swat Bot had been run over, distracting the rest of them.

Then without warning, Cyrus yelled; "CHARGE!"

Then every single Freedom Fighter in the area charged towards the distracted Swat Bots, and finally managed to damage them.

Once the threat had been disposed of, Beta jumped out of the Van and spoke to the others. "GOOD JOB GUYS! WE'RE OUT! NOW WE HAVE ONLY HAVE SIX MINUTES TILL THAT MISSILE LAUNCHES! IF SONIC HAS RUN INTO TROUBLE, WE'VE GOT TO HELP HIM!"

"But Mecha! That means we'd be rushing straight into Robotropolis unarmed! We can't do that!" Insisted Cyrus.

"LOOK AT THE TIME! OUR MAIN PRIORITY IS TO SAVE THE ESCAPING CITIZENS AND HELP SONIC! WE CAN'T WASTE OUR TIME WITH ANYTHING ELSE YET! GO! GO!" Snapped Beta.

Beta turned to Manic and Sonia, who looked worried.

"WELL HEDGEHOGS, IT SEEMS I WILL HAVE TO LEAVE YOU WITH RESISTANCE FOR NOW. I WILL RETURN SHORTLY AFTER I FIND SONIC."

"No!" Piped up Manic.

"Mecha, we must come with you!" Added Sonia.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT. CYRUS AND THE OTHERS NEED ALL THE HELP THEY CAN GET FROM YOU. IT WOULD BE UNWISE FOR YOU TO COME WITH ME. BESIDES, IT'S TOO DANGEROUS TO HAVE MULTIPLE FREEDOM FIGHTERS IN THE COMMAND CENTER." Answered Beta firmly.

Before either of them could reply though, the mechanical hedgehog hopped back into the Van and drove off.

They turned to Cyrus and both said; "Well you heard him! Let's get going!"

 **Back at the Command Centre…**

Sonic, who was absolutely tired after limping through a long corridor for so long, finally reached a lift that took him to a room where several Swat Bots were working at the controls for the missile.

There was a gigantic electronic map on the wall, showing the target destination; The Land of the Clouds.

Sonic stared down at the watch on his wrist, hoping that he had enough time."6: 57?! Oh man, I gotta juice this!" He gulped.

Smashing yet another Swat Bot with his sonic punch, the blue blur got ready to limp down towards the controls so he could stop the missile. But he was not expecting the building to suddenly shake as something had gone wrong with the missile's launch.

"ALERT! ALERT! MISSILE IS OUT CONTROL! FUEL IS TOO STRONG! UNABLE TO STOP MISSILE FROM LAUNCHING EARLY!" Came a voice from the speakers of the room's computer.

The Swat Bots then started to evacuate the room as the controls began sparking. The teenage hedgehog, however, had already had enough of problems stopping him from destroying the missile, so he simply charged through the crowd of escaping bots towards the controls.

But upon reaching them, he had no idea what to do. There didn't seem to be any off or self-destruct button anywhere, just a long set of destination and coordinate setting devices.

Hurriedly, the young hedgehog frantically searched across the long panel, not daring to take his eyes off it.

"MISSILE WILL HIT TARGET: LAND OF THE CLOUDS IN T MINUS SIXTY SECONDS."

FIFTY NINE…

FIFTY EIGHT…

FIFTY SEVEN…

Sonic was getting tense and frustrated until he eventually found a locked protection cap for a self-destruct button. He was going to try open it, except he had no key. Nevertheless, he pulled it as hard as he could. "ARGGGH!"

FOURTY FOUR…

FOURTY THREE…

FOURTY TWO…

FOURTY ONE…

FOURTY….

THIRTY NINE….

It was still not opening."Urrrrghhhh! C-c-c-com-e o-o-on-H-h-hedgeho-g! You –can-do-o-o-this!" Slowly but surely, the locked cap over the large button began to loosen somehow as Sonic applied tons of strength to his aching muscles.

Outside of the room, Metallix Beta had already made his way into the Command Centre and gotten into the nearest lift he could find at the bottom floor. But once he reached the top floor where the Missile Control room was, he already knew there was barely any time to stop the missile. The timer was already getting close to hitting zero…

FIFTEEN…

FOURTEEN…

THIRTEEN…

TWELVE…

ELEVEN…

TEN…

NINE…

EIGHT...

SEVEN…

SIX…

FIVE…

FOUR…

Then at last, the lock snapped and broke, lifting up the cap.

TWO…

The Blue Blur literally had no time to think.

O-N-E…

Then, in the hope of succession he threw his hand towards the button.

ZERO.

But, it was too late.

KRAKADOM!

In the sky, the Missile hit the Land of the Clouds without stopping, causing an almighty explosion that shook the entire city of Robotropolis below.

Sonic gasped in shock and horror as the Command Centre shook from the explosion above. He stood up, still surprised beyond words; he had failed! One of Robotnik's recent major plans had ACTUALLY worked.

Angrily, he slumped his fist at the control panel, unaware that they were still sparking, and by accident the blue Hedgehog got electrocuted, and fell unconscious from the shock. Unknown to the Blue Blur, a tall mechanical figure walked in and picked him up, then carried him out….

 **A couple of minutes later, outside the Command Centre…**

"Get them you metal-heads!" Shouted Sleet to a squad of Swat Bots, who were chasing many poor Mobian citizens throughout the city to capture them for Roboticisation. Suddenly, the squad of Swat Bots were ambushed by Freedom Fighters from multiple directions, whom after destroying the Swat Bots, grabbed the citizens and dragged them away.

"AFTER THEM YOU PIN-HEADED IDIOTS!" Yelled Sleet to more nearby Swat Bots.

But there was no sign of them anywhere. The Resistance had slipped right through Robotnik and his minions' fingers. And so Sleet nervously reported this to Robotnik on his wrist comlink.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?" Screamed Robotnik in fury from the comlink.

"I-I-I s-s-said they es-" Muttered Sleet.

"ESCAPED?! ESCAPED! YOU-YOU INCOMPETENT HENCHMAN!" Interrupted Robotnik from the comlink, yelling in fury once again.

While it seemed that the Resistance had actually vanished into thin air, they were actually, unknown to Robotnik, hiding right under his nose.

"This is the place Mecha asked us to hide, so we better stay hidden!" Sonia whispered to Cyrus.

"I know, but we've failed! The missile ended up destroying the Land of the Clouds anyway! We don't have any more allies! Now what're we gonna do?!" Murmured the lion in shame.

"AN EXCELLENT QUESTION MY FRIEND!" Came a robotic voice outside the large warehouse where the members of the resistance were hiding.

Metallix Beta strut his way in, carrying an unconscious Sonic.

"Sonic! Is he alright?!" Gasped Manic.

"HE'S PERFECTLY FINE. HE JUST HAD A BIT OF A SHOCK, THAT'S ALL." Replied Beta.

"Hey wait just one moment!" Called a Freedom Fighter in the crowd of hiding Mobians. "I still want to know the answer to Cyrus' question! What ARE we going to do now?! Our old base was destroyed by Robotnik when we were captured! And Sanctuary isn't a safe place to go to anymore! Where do YOU think we can hide for long?!"

"OH DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT. I'VE PREPARED FOR JUST THE OCCASION."

"Urrrghh…Robotnik….Why…." Sonic regained conscious and peered round the large warehouse. "I can't believe Robotnik actually won this time! And did I hear something about a hideout or somethin'?"

"AH SONIC! YOU'VE WOKEN UP JUST IN TIME FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL!" Said Beta, helping Sonic up.

"What're you talking about Mecha?" The blue Hedgehog got up, scratching his head.

"WATCH THIS!" Answered Beta, who stepped towards a wall in the warehouse. Suddenly, a beeping sound was heard from the high ceiling above. Connected to it was a large security camera of sorts, that looked abandoned, but actually seemed to be working just fine.

 _ **MOBIUS SECURITY CAMERA MODEL #1475 ON.**_

 _ **ENTITY DETECTED.**_

 _ **SCANNING ENTITY…**_

 _ **SCAN COMPLETE.**_

 _ **ENTITY DETAILS CONFIRMED.**_

 _ **NAME: METALLIX BETA**_

 _ **STATUS: SOLDIER**_

Then, a small red button on the wall began to flash. Beta pressed it, which caused part of the wall to move downwards like an automatic door, revealing a lift.

"What on Mobius is this?!" Gasped Cyrus.

Beta stepped into the lift and with a friendly gesture, replied with; "WHY DON'T YOU COME AND FIND OUT YOURSELVES? THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM FOR QUITE A FEW OF YOU."

Immediately after the door closed, the lift zoomed downwards and came back up, empty in only fifteen seconds. Once everyone was down, they found themselves in pitch black darkness.

"ALRIGHT THEN. IS EVERYONE DOWN? GOOD! THEN ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE YOU TO…." Spoke Beta in the darkness. "….THE NEW RESISTANCE HEADQUARTERS!"

Then, slightly bright lights turned on all around the mysterious room, revealing an astonishing long, towering base. The room itself was circular, with several floor connected to the walls, each with a long line of doorways to a room.

In the middle of the room, was a tube which had several old looking monitors wired to it. Each monitor sparked into life, showing tons of data scrolling on and off screen. The tube also had many desks with chairs surrounding it, each for Freedom Fighters who needed to work on specialised computers.

And to top it off, there were other rooms that one could enter through from the ground floors, such as a canteen and training rooms suitable for Mobian children that had previously been training in Sanctuary before Robotnik's attack on it. The rescued citizens and Resistance members marvelled in wonder and without hearing an explanation, went to straight to exploring the area, so they could make themselves at home.

Sonic, Manic and Sonia were surprised the most; they'd never seen a base like this, being so high-tech and complex. They soon found that their Camper Van was parked in a garage at the bottom floor, before they each found and explored their new rooms on the second floor.

Even Miles "Tails" Prower, the young fox cub who the Sonic Underground had rescued from Robotropolis recently, was excited to be living in this base!

And so it wasn't long before everyone settled in, taking their places in a newly organised Resistance. It was no longer split up into multiple cells around Roboland, now it could plan, monitor and assign missions from here as well as record the progress of the war against Robotnik on the stolen computers that were used to create a database. How exactly this place had come to be was still a mystery, but for weeks and weeks it simply had made the lives of everyone in the Resistance much easier. But of course, this wasn't any old group, it was now officially renamed as; _THE ROBOLANDIAN RESISTANCE_.

 _ **Epilogue to Robotnik's Revenge:**_

" _My children and the Resistance had now found themselves a new ally, and finally had a safe place to hide from Robotnik's treachery. But now Swat Bots roam the deserted streets of Robotropolis. A large, dark cloud, polluted by Robotnik's factories, blocks the sunlight immensely, with only slight heat from the sun and the city's_ own _power providing a certain amount of heat. And so the evil Dictator was determined to destroy the Resistance once and for all. It would take long before there was any chance of defeating him, but everything my children found themselves up against in the next few years would prove to be some of their biggest challenges yet…._ " – Queen Aleena Hedgehog.

 **END OF ROBOTNIK'S REVENGE AND EPISODE 6.**


	7. Genesis of the Badniks

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 _ **Sonic Underground: The Continuation**_

 _ **Season 3 Episode 7: Genesis of the Badniks**_

South Island, Planet Mobius, 3239.

It was a glorious sunny day on South Island, and the islanders would no doubt all be taking a nice relaxing stroll in Green Hill Zone.

For many of the islanders, the island was a safe haven from the so called 'disturbances' going on outside the island.

Nobody exactly knew what they were; after all, the current generation of islanders had no clue what exactly they were safe from to begin with!

But to be honest, did they really have to know? They'd heard of evil before, but never truly experienced it.

Perhaps it was nothing but rumours and speculation formed from what the very first Mobians on South Island had experienced.

And why should they care? The island had been peaceful and untouched by any other group of Mobians for many years.

There surely wasn't any life outside of South Island that could be as peaceful and all around perfect as the village in Green Hill had.

But one group in particular wanted to know more.

This group was composed of Mobian youngsters, each of which were still in Secondary School, but now they were on Holiday, free to meet up and discuss the often ignored topics and secrets of South Island.

The group had six members, each of a different Mobian species.

The leader was the wise Joe Sushi, a Walrus, who had a passion for history, which was one of the reason he and his friends formed the group.

Then there was the cheerful Flicky, who was one of those Mobians named after his own species, which had become a trend for the islanders. His flight always helped him turn up to the group meetings ahead of everyone else.

Tux was the most serious of the group. He was a Penguin that was always trying to find the most effective way to solve any problems, if there were any to begin with.

Of course, there was also Chirps, a Chicken who was Flicky's best friend. He got introduced to the group one day after school, when they decided to try go on an adventure to the Marble Zone, which was usually blocked off for safety, but it didn't stop the sense of adventure the group had.

But perhaps the most inexperienced member of the group was Porker Lewis. This pig was a master in gadgets, having achieved outstanding results in his Technology classes, but he was also a bit of a coward. While he was interested in finding out secrets of South Island, when finding them out meant doing something dangerous, he'd get pretty scared and nervous. Plus, he always seemed to be the one getting into trouble, such as when he nearly fell into Lava in the Marble Zone!

But, he was rescued by the bravest and most adventurous member of the group, Johnny Lightfoot. Not only was Lightfoot one of the fastest Mobians on the island, but he was also the most skilled. He'd practised for ages with acrobatics in the Green Hill Gymnasium, which allowed any adventure the group would have to be a chance to put his skills to the test.

Today was the group's latest meeting, and as usual, Flicky was the first to have arrived.

Johnny Lightfoot arrived only a minute after, looking quite tired.

"Jeez Flicky! That's the 13th time you've beat me to a meeting this year!" Moaned the exhausted Rabbit.

"Calm down Johnny! I'll go easy on you next time. Trust me!" Replied Flicky.

"You always say that! And yet you've never done so!" Grumbled Johnny.

"Settle down guys!" Called a voice.

Joe Shushi and the rest of the gang came up to the table in the Park that their friends were sitting at, all looking quite relaxed.

"You and your races! No wonder your parents don't let you take part in the school races! You're far too competitive!" Commented Chirps.

"Alright Chirps I think that will do. Let's just begin." Spoke Tux.

"Right then everyone, welcome to the meeting." Began Joe.

"So I wanted to just say that me and Tux have been planning something brand new that I think will now work, seeing as it is the holidays for us."

"And what may that be? Asked Porker.

"I assume you're familiar with the legend of the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Yeah, what's that got to do with it?" Questioned Flicky.

"Well basically, a couple days ago when I went to bed at 9:00 PM, I always see a flash of bright light in the distance, and what I think is a portal opening up!"

"What?! Wow!" Gasped the others in group excluding Tux.

"From the legends I've studied, I believe that the portal may be a gateway to the so called 'Special Zone!'

"Fascinating…." Muttered Flicky.

"So where do we come in?" Asked Johnny, eager to hear more.

"Me and Tux believe we should go on another adventure, this time all the way up to the Dark Mountains, which is past the Spring Yard Zone from what I know. My guess is that we'll be able to find more portals like what I've seen, and see if we can get into the Special Zone!"

"T-t-t-t-he Dark Mountains?! But that's dangerous! And what if we find one of these portals, and we all get sucked and trapped inside them?! This is too risky for my taste!" Gulped Porker.

"Don't be so scared Porker! We're not going so far that we'll have to scale the mountain!" Replied Joe.

"He's right Porker." Said Johnny, trying to comfort his Pig friend. "We'll try find the safest route we can, right?"

Eventually, the group discussed the adventure for quite a while, until they eventually decided on trying to take some ancient tunnels in the Marble Zone, to try and get to Spring Yard Zone, where'd they would then trek their way to the mountains, in the hope they'd find one of the mysterious portals Joe said he'd seen.

The next day though, the day the group had agreed to go on their adventure, Johnny woke up in his underground burrow, feeling very tired.

"Uhhh….What time is it?"

He checked his digital watch.

"10:36?! OH NO! The group agreed to start the adventure an hour ago! I hope they're still waiting for me at the rendezvous point!"

Without thinking any further, Johnny dashed through the door outside to Green Hill Zone, running past his school.

But then he froze.

Everything else in the zone was quiet. Too quiet!

Usually at this time of day, the Islanders would be walking around, some setting up shops, and youngsters would be playing out in the Park. Not this time however.

The entire village was completely empty.

No sign of any Mobian aside from Johnny himself could be seen anywhere.

What was worse was that the door on many houses had been ripped straight out of their frames, as if there had been several struggles.

Johnny wandered slowly around the Village, till he reached Joe Shushi's house, only to find a piece of his fur lying on the ground.

"Unbelievable…..What could have happened to everyone?" Murmured the confused Rabbit.

"YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT RABBIT!" Chuckled a voice from behind.

"Huh? Who?!" Jumped Johnny, turning round.

A large fat man wearing a red uniform and sprouting a long moustache was sitting in some sort of hovering pod, with two robotic figures at his side, both with red eyes glowing emotionlessly at the shocked Mobian.

"The perfect Test Subject! Ho ho! Swat Bots! Capture this little freak!"

Before Johnny could even react, he felt some pierce his skin.

He then felt extremely dizzy, and with one last glance at the fat man, everything went black…

 **Much later, at the Scrap Brain Zone….**

"At last! Everything is going precisely as planned! Heh heh…."

Doctor Ivo Robotnik leaned back in a throne, staring down at the sight of an enormous factory, filled to the brim with gadget and gizmos, all creating metallic shells, that were welded together and painted, then electric devices were fitted inside the shell, that finally were loaded onto assembly lines by mechanical claws.

Scrap Brain was now the ultimate secret factory and hideout for the vile Dictator, who was on leave from Robotropolis, leaving his two henchmen Sleet and Dingo to temporarily run the city.

And the best thing about having a base on South Island? Nobody would suspect it.

The dark clouds had already hidden the base from being seen by the islanders, and plus, the Resistance never came to South Island before! Not once! They had no contacts there or anything!

So now Robotnik's latest plan could come to fruition, this time without being too obvious.

As Robotnik grinned menacingly at what he saw through the window, a prototype Robotnik Trooper walked up to him.

"MASTER, WE ARE READY TO BEGIN THE DEMONSTRATION. THE TEST SUBJECT IS IN PLACE." Droned the metallic soldier.

"Eggsellent! It is finally time to unleash my latest pawns upon the Resistance, and that irritating Spikeball!" Rasped the cold voice of the Doctor, getting up slowly from the dark throne covered in emergency buttons.

As the Trooper escorted his leader through the hallways of Scrap Brain Zone, it could still hear the buzzing of saws, the chilling sound of electricity zaps and the loud sound of welding, all from the complicated machines hard at work, on completing Robotnik's latest project.

Passing the control room, and another large window showing a view of the 'Star Light Zone' which acted as a construction site for another city Robotnik could potentially build one day, although it wouldn't be as big as Robotropolis, the robot and his master finally opened the door to the outdoor balcony, where many Robian workers were gathered.

The Trooper stood firmly next to the fat man, currently twirling at his moustache.

"AHEM!" Spoke Robotnik, clearing his throat. "TODAY, we are here to start the final test for the result of _**Project: Nomad**_ , which I am sure all of you have worked very hard on the last couple of weeks! As you can see, the Troopers have completed the Scrap Brain Factory precisely on schedule, meaning the mass production of our new creations can start immediately! But alas, let's not get too excited."

The Dictator then turned to a Swat Bot standing by the door, emotionless as ever.

"Unit 5192! Bring in the Test Subject!" He called.

Without replying, the robot stomped off, and returned moments later with a struggling rabbit in chains, trying to free himself as the bot carried him.

"Welcome my friend! You're just in time!" Sniggered Robotnik.

The Rabbit stopped struggling all of a sudden and looked straight up at Robotnik with a look of anger on his face.

"Who and what on Mobius are you?!" Gasped Johnny.

"I, am Doctor Robotnik! Genius egg-straordinary! And you my friend are going to be the first ever little Mobian to be the organic battery of my latest invention, THE BADNIK!"

Johnny gasped and resumed struggling, as the Swat Bot carried him over to the body of what appeared to be a robotic Lady Bug, but with sharp claws and a nasty look.

"No, no, no! Let go of me tin can! You won't get away with this you monster!" Squirmed Johnny.

"TOO LATE RABBIT! FEEL YOUR MIND SUCCUMB TO THE PROGRAMMING! Soon you'll be the first Badnik, codenamed: Moto Bug!"

The young Mobian did his best to resist, but as soon as he was placed inside the metallic shell, and was sealed in, he saw a small screen appear in front of him, full of data.

"Oh no….." He whispered.

Small wires automatically attached themselves to Johnny's brain and information began pouring straight into his brain.

"I….I….I…." Came a metallic rasp from Johnny inside the body, heard by everyone staring at it.

"I….I….I….Robotnik is…..My master…..I…I….I serve…..Robotnik…..I AM…..AM….I AM NO LONGER JOHNNY LIGHTFOOT! I AM MOTO BUG UNIT 1! SERVE DOCTOR IVO ROBOTNIK!"  
Only for 15 seconds, could Johnny think to himself, that it was too late. He could feel the power of the Badnik Program taking over his mind, and that he was now a servant of evil.

"ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE. PINCERS WORKING. VISION AT 100%. AWAITING ORDERS FROM ROBOTNIK." Droned the Badnik.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! OH HO HO HO HO! IT WORKS! The very first Badnik is operational!" Laughed Robotnik evilly, taking pride for himself.

The Robians did not even hesitate, they clapped in approval at the knowledge that the mind of a Mobian had been taken over so easily. Their long and hard research had finally paid off.

"Congratulations my men! Thanks to your strong efforts, we finally have a quicker and more productive method of enslaving Mobians for use as robotic minions!"

He marched forward, pushing the Robians at the end of the balcony out of his way.

"And now, the Resistance will be overwhelmed by an army of such a large scale! Prepare the other Islanders for Badnik transformation! It is time we finally started our first objective; TO FIND THE 6 LEGENDARY CHAOS EMERALDS!"

 **5 days later, at an outpost in Roboland, far from Robotropolis…**

"COMMANDER, WE HAVE SCANNED THE AREA FOR INTRUDERS, AND SO FAR OUR HEAT SENSORS HAVE PICKED UP NOTHING SUSPICOUS. ARE YOU SURE THE RESISTANCE FIGHTERS ENTERED THE BUILDING?"

"NO UNIT 3695. THE MOBIANS ATTACKED OUR GUARDS AT THE MAIN GATE BEFORE MY SQUAD AND I ARRIVED. I ASSUME THE AREA IS COMPLETELY SECURE?"

"YES SIR, OUR GUARDS ARE STATIONED AT EVERY CORNER. IF A SINGLE FREEDOM FIGHTER ATTEMPTS TO ENTER THROUGH THE VENTILATION SYSTEM, WE WILL KNOW."

"EXCELLENT. WE DO NOT WANT THIS OUTPOST TO BE DESTROYED; OTHERWISE THE RESISTANCE WILL BE ABLE TO ATTACK THE TROOPER BLOCKADE WITHOUT US BEING ABLE TO SEND A WARNING."

"AFFIRMATIVE COMMANDER. WE WILL CONTINUE TO SCAN FOR MOBIANS."

Two newly manufactured Robotnik Troopers walked off after a quick report, to return to their primary objectives.

Unbeknownst to them, some Freedom Fighters were hiding close by.

"Sonic, this is crazy! How can you possibly think we can infiltrate this tower? It's suicide!" Spoke Cyrus, the technology expert of the Resistance, who was wasn't always agreeing with Sonic's mission plans.

"Cyrus, your moaning is boring me every second. I told you already, this mission is essential to getting us more Intel on Robotnik's operations!" Snapped Sonic.

Behind Sonic, were a group of Mobians who had been with the Resistance for quite a while and they were all on a stealth mission.

"Alright folks, listen up." Whispered Sonic to his team.

"Now that we've distracted most of the guards, we can disguise ourselves inside the stolen Swat Bot casing, now that Cyrus with all his techno mumbo-jumbo has removed their parts. Once we get in, pretend to inspect the place while Cyrus and I head up to the main control room. There we'll steal the top secret Intel ol' Egg-Breath is so keen to hide from us. Do ya all get the plan?"

The members of team nodded.

"Well what're you waiting for?! Get moving you slow-mos!" Ordered Sonic.

Cyrus frowned at Sonic, as the team reluctantly obeyed and began dressing up as Swat Bots, not too fond of the hedgehog's new-found strictness.

Eventually, Sonic's team, all disguised, marched up to the front doors of the Tower, and addressed the Trooper guards.

"STATE YOUR BUSINESS HERE, SWAT BOTS." Droned the Trooper on the right.

"TOWER INSPECTION, AS ORDERED BY CAPTAIN SLEET. A FULL REPORT ON THE STATUS OF THE TOWER BY THIS INSPECTION SQUAD IS NEEDED TO BE SENT BACK TO DOCTOR ROBOTNIK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE." Said one of the disguised Mobians, doing his best to speak in a robotic tone, with the help of a voice simulator inside the robot's casing.

"WHAT IS YOUR SQUAD'S XR-NUMBER?" Replied the Trooper.

"ERM, XR-1991?"

"THE SCHUEDULE DICTATES WE ARE MEANT TO HAVE XR-1985 TO INSPECT THE TOWER." The Trooper informed.

"WELL,UM…."

But before the Mobian could say anything else, he was interrupted by Sonic.

"XR-1985'S INSPECTION HAS BEEN DELAYED, DUE TO RECENT RESISTANCE ATTACKS IN ROBOTROPOLIS. CAPTAIN SLEET ORDERED US TO HANDLE THE INSPECTION INSTEAD." Lied Sonic.

The Trooper guards swivelled their mechanical heads towards each other, then turned them back to face Sonic.

"AFFIRMATIVE. YOU MAY ENTER AND BEGIN YOUR INSPECTION."

Being careful not to sigh with relief, the team stepped into the building, and walked down the first long corridor.

At the end of the corridor, Sonic signalled for the rest of the team to spilt up and distract the Troopers with their 'inspection'.

Taking the lift, the two Mobians prepared themselves for any obstacles that could blow their cover.

Ignoring the robot bands playing music for many off-duty Troopers all around the facility, the two finally arrived at the top floor, where many Robians and Troopers were walking around.

Once they exited the lift, while watching the moving the robots, they cautiously mimicked their movement while heading up some long stairs to the door of the control room.

As random announcements coming from wall speakers echoed around the area, Cyrus nervously pressed a button on a control panel, causing the door to lift open, revealing a couple of Troopers working at the controls.

Slowly entering, the Troopers turned to face them, with almost emotionless mechanical frowns.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Demanded the main Trooper Officer.

Quickly remembering the Inspection Squad name, Sonic swiftly replied; "INSPECTION SQUAD XR-1991. HERE TO INSPECT MAIN CONTROL ROOM?"

"NEGATIVE. THERE ARE NO INSPECTIONS SCHUEDULED IN THIS ROOM. GUARDS, SCAN THESE SWAT BOTS."

But before the Guards could get any closer to the Freedom Fighters, Sonic pulled a ray gun straight from the utility belt of his Swat Bot disguise, and fired several shots at the Officer.

Stunned by the sight of a supposed Swat Bot blasting one of its master's own robots, the Troopers also pulled ray guns from their belts, but felt a piercing explosion in their chests, before toppling to the ground.

As more frantic shooting occurred around him, Cyrus quickly locked the door, in case any nearby Troopers outside heard the shooting.

Then Sonic had finally finished disposing of all the robots in the room, he removed the Swat helmet and tossed it aside, then moved to the controls.

"Alright Cyrus, buddy. Come 'ere and help for once with this techno stuff so we can get some Intel and get out of here!"

Cyrus dashed over, and hurriedly did his best to search for Intel on the Tower's controls.

Despite this, both Freedom Fighters were aware of the outside Troopers banging on the door, yelling; "ATTENTION INTRUDERS! SURRENDER AND LOSE ALL HOPE IN THE NAME OF DR. ROBOTNIK!"

Sonic sighed and remarked; "Looks like our cover's been blown!"

"How's the computers Cyrus?"

The Lion scratched his head as he scrolled through tons of files displayed on the enormous screen, all dated before the current time.

"I think we're nearly there Sonic, I'm just passing through the 3238 projects. I know for sure Robotnik must have been working on something in secret!"

"3239 FILES LOADED. DISPLAYING ON SCREEN…" Droned the voice of the computer.

"Aha! Here we go! There seems to be an operation called _**Project: Nomad**_. Hmm…." Pondered Cyrus.

"Well hurry up and read it! We don't have much time! I'll fend off those Troopers outside!" Growled Sonic impatiently.

BANG!

The door was blasted, followed by lasers flying everywhere through the large hole the Troopers had made through it.

Sonic buzzed out of the control room with his spin attack, ditching his disguise and switching on his medallion to fire lasers at the robots.

Meanwhile, Cyrus read the information on Robotnik's secret operation;

PROJECT: NOMAD

PURPOSE: TO CREATE A FASTER METHOD OF ENSLAVING MOBIAN MINDS WITHOUT THE NEED OF ROBOTICISATION.

HISTORY: DOCTOR IVO ROBOTNIK SPENT WEEKS DESIGNING SEVERAL NEW ROBOTS HE NAMED 'BADNIKS', WHICH WERE TO PRODUCED AT A TEST LOCATION; SOUTH ISLAND, WHERE THE NEW SCRAP BRAIN FACTORY IS BEING SIMULATEOUSLY BUILT FOR THE OBJECTIVE OF MASS-PRODUCING BADNIKS, AND FITTING RESIDENTS OF THE ISLAND AS ORGANIC BATTERIES INTO THE BADNIK CASING, WITH A MINIATURE COMPUTER BUILT INSIDE, WHICH COMPLEX CODING AND WIRES THAT CAN BRAINWASH THE SUBJECT WITHIN A MINUTE. ON WEDNESDAY LAST WEEK, THE FIRST BADNIK UNIT, CODENAMED; MOTO BUG, RECEIVED A SUCCESSFUL TEST, ALLOWING FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MORE BADNIKS. WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT, THE FIRST TASK THE BADNIKS WILL UNDERGO IS TO DIG ALL OVER SOUTH ISLAND FOR CHAOS EMERALDS, WHICH THE LEGEND OF THE ISLAND DICTATES THE AMOUNT OF TO BE SIX.

RESULTS: AN ARMY OF BADNIKS WITH APPROXIMATELY 14 MODEL VARIATIONS.

MOTO BUG

BUZZ BOMBER

CHOPPER

CRABMEAT

NEWTRON

CATERKILLER

BAT BRAIN

ROLLER

SPIKES

BURROBOT

JAWS

ORBINAUT

BOMB

BALL HOG

Cyrus gasped at the details presented before him, and quickly yelled to Sonic; "I KNOW WHAT ROBOTNIK'S UP TO! What now?!"

"What now? We bust outta here buddy!"

Suddenly, there was an electrical-like explosion from outside.

Cyrus then dived out of the room through the hole, only to see an injured Sonic holding a sparking Medallion.

"Darn! One of those bozos shot my Medallion! But luckily it still seems to be working somewhat!"

Without warning, Sonic got up and grabbed Cyrus' arm.

"Alright Cyrus, we gotta juice!"

Every Trooper on the top floor would collapse as a Blue Blur zoomed past them, and smashed straight through a weak wall.

Turning on his comlink, Sonic contacted the rest of his team.

"Change of plan guys! Drop the inspection act and leave the Tower while I take of everything else!" Instructed the cocky hedgehog.

As Cyrus was getting dizzy from Sonic's immense speed, he gasped when he saw Sonic was heading for some sort of reactor core.

"Sonic?! You're not serious?! You're going to-!"

"Hold on tight Cyrus!" Chuckled Sonic as he was close to impacting with the core. "SONIC SPIN ATTACK!"

With the force of a cannon shell, the spin attack blazes through the middle of the core, shredding every shard of metal and wiring inside, and the effect is shattering!

KADABOOM!

As flames rushed from the destroyed core, Sonic with Cyrus, still in his spin attack, smashed through the glass window, before free-falling onto some columns near the main gates.

Leaping off with a dazed Cyrus, the blue blur regrouped with his teammates.

"Okay gang! You know the drill!"

Escaping the grounds as quickly as possible, the team heard and felt as the Tower exploded into tons of debris, with the remains crumbling and collapsing to the muddy ground.

After the debris had settled, Sonic and his squad emerged from the trees in which they'd taken cover.

"Now that's what I call way past cool!" Grinned the Hedgehog, looking around at the smoking remains of the Outpost Tower.

"Ditch those bozo outfits gang, you don't need them anymore."

As Sonic searched around the wreckage, the squad removed their Swat Bot disguises, tossing them into the debris.

"ER-ERO-R-ERROR-CRRR….." Came an almost static voice from a destroyed Trooper.

"Ah shaddap mate. Nobody here gave you permission to talk, did they?" Muttered Sonic, kicking the robot's cracked head straight off the neck. "Well what'd you know? I've completed a mission without Manic and Sonia around to slow me down!"

Cyrus sighed as Sonic kept gloating to himself, annoyed that Sonic was always so good at taking pride in what he did to a sometimes extreme length.

"And with Mecha and the others off on their own separate missions, things are sure going to be quiet round here. That is until I kick more of egg-breath's scaly butt!" Joked the cocky Mobian.

Unknown to Sonic and his squad however, there were a couple of robots flying above, patrolling the area.

"BUZZ BOMBER UNIT 245! THERE ARE MOBIANS SIGHTED AT 11 O'CLOCK!" Droned one of the robots.

"AFFIRMATIVE. TARGETS SIGHTED. OUR FIRST CATCH FOR TODAY: FREEDOM FIGHTERS!" Replied the other Badnik.

"FINALLY! MY PRIMARY BATTERIES ARE DRAINING FAST. TIME WE GOT OURSELVES SOME ORGANIC BATTERIES FOR ONCE!" Jeered the third Badnik robotically.

On the ground, the Freedom Fighters were busy packing away their equipment to backpacks, only to be stunned when they heard; "STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"

Sonic and Cyrus span round, to see several animal shaped robots flying in the air, each with rocket boosters attached, and armed with pincers and laser weapons.

"What the heck are you?!" Demanded Sonic.

"WE ARE BADNIKS. LOYAL SERVANTS TO THE GREAT DOCTOR IVO ROBOTNIK!" Growled one of the robots, opening a compartment inside itself, which unleashed an extending claw.

"AND NOW YOU'RE ABOUT TO BECOME ONE OF US!" Jeered all the Badniks at once, unleashing their extendable claws and grabbing every Freedom Fighter they could.

Sonic gasped in horror as Cyrus yelled; "HELP ME SONIC!",as the Lion was pulled towards the Badnik with ease, and quickly encased inside.

The rest was also happening to the other Freedom Fighters, all being encased and brainwashed inside the Badniks.

"NOW IT'S YOUR TURN SPIKY!" Chuckled a Badnik shaped like a lady bug.

"You really don't know who I am, do you? I guess Walrus-chops didn't fit me into your enemy programming!" Spoke Sonic, with a determined face.

"SAY WHAT?" Asked the Badnik, puzzled by Sonic's comment.

"Okay Badnik, you asked for it!" Bellowed the Hedgehog, who leapt up into the air, curling his spikes and legs towards his chest in a defensive position, before rolling forwards in mid-air.

"I'M SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!" Yelled Sonic in a heroic fashion, as his spin attack smashed the Moto-Bug to pieces, causing the other Badniks to gulp in surprise.

But as the other Badniks attempted to retreat like cowards after Sonic landed, the Hedgehog repeated his earlier move with immense speed, buzzing straight through the shells of two of the robots, releasing the captured Mobians from within their metallic prisons.

Suddenly, the remaining robots fired lasers at their enemy, almost catching him off-guard, as he dodged just in the nick of time.

Not wanting to take any chances, the loyal servants of the vile Doctor blasted off into the distance, leaving their comrades' short lasted 'organic batteries' lying dazed next to an angry Sonic.

"Cowards. Humph, they're even worse than Swat Bots!" Murmured the disappointed blue blur, helping his fellow Freedom Fighters.

Suddenly, a cracked monitor still connected to one of the smashed Badnik shells, sparked into life.

On the screen, was Robotnik, with a snarl of extreme anger, pointing his finger at Sonic.

"Robotnik! Don't you know it's rude to point?"

"Sonic…you annoying, impertinent hedgehog. Thanks to you, my great plans are always laid to waste! Oh, but this time, I'm going to rub you out with the power of science! Ha ha ha ha ha…"

"Robotnik, you still haven't had enough?"

"Have you seen it, Sonic? This time is going to be different! Because this time, I've turned all the animals on the legendary South Island into robots!"

"E, Everybody!? On South Island?" Gasped Sonic, who'd once been to South Island long ago at a young age.

"All of them go about in accordance to my orders. In other words, Sonic, everyone on the island is your enemy! Gya— Ha ha ha ha ha ha ^cough^ ^ack^ ^ahem^. This time, the world really will be all mine!"

As Robotnik laughed maniacally, Sonic angrily threw the monitor onto the ground, furious at the news his arch-nemesis had given him.

Although, Robotnik had only given him little detail on his plan, apart the fact that it involved these new 'Badnik' machines.

"Oh boy, I hate to say this, but there are times I really wish Metallix were here….."

"What're you going to do Sonic? They've captured the rest of the team, and likely taken them to South Island!"

Sonic stood and thought carefully for a moment.

Then out of nowhere, he removed his medallion and gave it to one of the recovered Freedom Fighters.

"Keep this safe, buddy. It's been damaged from a Trooper blast, and'll probably take days to repair itself. If Buttnik's got some powerful stuff on that island, I'd rather not face them with a damaged necklace thingy. It might bust out on me!"

"But Sonic!" Insisted the Freedom Fighter. "I thought you and your siblings' medallions were the only way to help you defeat Robotnik!"

"Forget it pal! The days with the crazy Oracle's magic mumbo-jumbo guidance are over! Like Mecha said, it's no longer about that." Replied Sonic, taking some brand new Red Sneakers out from a backpack.

The other Freedom Fighter scratched his head.

"Then how're you going to get to South Island? We don't have any time to gather a large force of Resistance members to launch an offensive on the Moboland border!"

"Chill dude, I'll just sneak past, and those silly Troopers won't even notice a thing!" Grinned Sonic, fitting on his new Sneakers. "Wish me luck!"

With an enormous 'swoosh!', the Hedgehog was once again a Blue Blur, racing off into the distance.

As he zoomed through the countryside of Moboland, Sonic could almost imagine someone saying to him; "This is terrible! Hurry! Sonic the Hedgehog - everyone is waiting for your help!"

 **END OF EPISODE 7.**

* * *

 _Author's note_ : This chapter is designed to act as a prologue to the first Sonic game, and how it fits into the continuity of this fanfiction.


	8. Mining Peril! Part 1

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 _ **Sonic Underground: The Continuation**_

 _ **Season 3 Episode 8: Mining Peril (Part 1)**_

 **Deep down, in the Headquarters of the Resistance…**

"Come on! Work you blasted thing!"

Sonic the Hedgehog, outlawed prince of Mobius, was fiddling with the wires for a computer plugged into a wall. For the impatient hedgehog, life in the Resistance HQ was both cool and dull. It still felt like an old bunker despite its recent conversion by Metallix Beta, who was currently off on separate Freedom Fighter missions.

It didn't even help that at the moment, each of the personal living quarters for everyone living in the base were almost identical, save for computers that were only in the rooms of the Freedom Fighters who could use them to communicate with some of their comrades in other rooms, or those far away on missions.

But right now, the residents were still taking a while to complete their decorations for rooms, seeing as most would go out on missions across Moboland and other parts of Mobius, and the rest, who were Mobian refugees rescued during various adventures.

This meant that the base would be a bit empty throughout the day, with only a few Mobians walking around or working on the computer section in the middle of the enormous towering lobby, with its core connected to the very top, possibly in contact with the electricity of Robotropolis above, sneakily taking a bit of energy from abandoned buildings above.

Sonic, after several failed attempts at connected the wires of the monitor in his room together, finally saw a spark of electricity go through as he taped them to each other, causing static to appear on the monitor, with the helpful words of; 'ENTER COMMAND' being displayed.

"There we go!" Muttered Sonic, pressing the transmission command key on the keyboard.

'ENTER TRANSMISSION CONTACT'S NAME'

'M-A-N-I-C' entered Sonic onto the computer. Then the text changed yet again, reading; "CALLING MANIC THE HEDGEHOG…."

After a few seconds, the static faded from the monitor, and the face of Sonic's brother, Manic, flashed into view. "Yo Sonic! How's it going my main man?" Came the cheerful voice of Manic.

"Quite dull to be honest bro. With you and Sonia away on missions I'm stuck having to wait for random missions to pop up! Plus, Mecha always pops in when I'm asleep, and doesn't bother to wait till I'm awake to bring me on another mission! Everyone's all busy nowadays. Who knew Robotnik's operations spread so far over Mobius?" Explained Sonic, feeling bored.

"Oh I see, well I'll be rendezvousing with Mecha in an hour from now so I guess you're on your own after our chat. So how did the mission on South Island go?" Asked Manic, referring to Sonic's recent adventure.

"It went past cool to be honest. Rescued lots of small little Mobians from Badniks, crushed 'ol Egg-Breath's egg mobile several times, trashed his Scrap Brain factory and even collected the six legendary Chaos Emeralds!" Smirked the blue hedgehog.

Manic smiled to know that Sonic had at least been having some fun. "What about now though? If you're constantly waiting for missions, what're you doing in your free time?"

"Oh just testing out my Mega System games now and then. Nothing special."

"Alright then bro. I need to head to the rendezvous point now. Mecha'll be arriving there shortly it seems. See ya!"

The screen then faded to static again, before Sonic grumbled and slumped onto his bed. "He gets to go on missions with Mecha, while I'm forced to sit here and do nothing! Where's the logic in that?" Muttered the blue blur.

"Oh well, I'd better go down and check on the core as Metallix keeps tasking me to do."

Leaping off the bed, Sonic opened the doors to his room and wandered out on the balcony with a blue glowing light illuminating almost the entire base. Today, fortunately for Sonic, was when the base was livelier, as a few key Freedom Fighters were taking rests after a long week of protecting Mobius. Now they could retreat underground to the greatest bunker ever built in Moboland (now known as Roboland), and entertain themselves till the next mission.

If you'd ever set foot inside, you'd no doubt be amazed at the glorious sight this facility provides, with a cube shaped energy device floating up and down inside the slightly spherical tube core. And there was even a second set of rooms next to the lobby, containing a gym for training, a canteen where the food was at least decent because most of the food had been taken from abandoned food stands all around Robotropolis and a storage room containing some stolen documents from old Mobotropolis archives which Robotnik had fortunately left relatively unguarded.

Despite the achievement of building such a great base, the developing Resistance was still in its early stages, mostly combatting Robotnik's Trooper Badniks across the planet, now that the Moboland border had recently been broken through, allowing access to many countries around Mobius, aside from those where the currently quiet Overlanders resided.

The doors to the lift opened immediately, and a tired Sonic stepped in and without hesitating nudged the 'MAIN LOBBY' button.

"THIS LIFT IS GOING TO: MAIN LOBBY. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU DON'T MISS ANY MISSIONS AND REMEMBER TO KICK ROBOTNIK'S BUTT! HAVE A NICE DAY." Droned the robotic announcement voice from the speakers inside the lift.

"Yeah I will, if there's even any mission for this cool hedgehog to do." Grumbled Sonic. Once the lift reached the main lobby, Sonic saw a familiar face in a few meters away from the lift as the doors opened.

"Hey Sonic!" Miles 'Tails' Prower, the son of legendary Great War pilot; Sir Amadeus Prower, and a big fan of Sonic's was standing patiently next to a Freedom Fighter working hard on the computers hanging off the core, with his signature 2 tails flailing behind him as he smiled at the sight of his role-model.

"Hey big-guy! What's up?" Said Sonic, slightly cheered up with Tails' company.

"I just heard that Trevor's got a new mission for you! He's waiting for you with Cyrus!" Replied the fox cub.

Sonic's sighed with relief. "About time! I can't stand staying here all day without smashin' Badniks!"

With Tails by his side, the teenage hedgehog met up with Trevor in a briefing room, who was studying a map with Cyrus. "Aha! Sonic! Good morning!" Trevor greeted the blue blur. "I assume you're familiar with the Fludron Mine?"

"Yeah, my Uncle told me about it when I was younger. Apparently that's where the most beautiful crystals in Moboland are found. Never been there though." Remembered Sonic.

"That's right, and according to some Intel we got from Metallix Beta on his missions, he's seen a legion of all sorts of Badniks heading towards it. But he's unfortunately too occupied with dealing with a Badnik attack in Uthen at the moment, and suggested that you might be the best person to sort this out." Explained Trevor, serious about the situation.

"So you want me to check it out eh? Sure, anything to get me out and foiling Walrus-Chop's plans!" Jeered Sonic in agreement.

"Nice! Hey Sonic, can I come?" Asked Tails desperately.

Surprised, Cyrus, who was normally looking after Tails these days, turned to face the fox cub. "Miles! You know very well it's too dangerous for you to go on a fully fledged mission! You could get captured and Roboticised or worse if Robotnik's minions are merciless, killed!"

"But Cyrus! I-"

Sonic touched Tails' shoulder in an almost brotherly motion. "Firstly Cyrus, his name is now TAILS. Ditch the name Miles! And two, trust me, I can look after him! Since nor Manic, Sonia or Metallix Beta is around, we need all the help we can get to stop whatever Robotnik's up to in those mines! Right?"

Cyrus sighed.

"He has a point Cyrus." Spoke Trevor. "Sonic has proved himself capable of looking after comrades and saving young Mobians as he did on South Island. Perhaps this mission can test Tails' abilities alongside Sonic's just this once. If he does return safely, I think it's safe to suspend his training and allow him to move on to further missions, rather than just practising in the Gym."

"Fine. But I'm coming too, just to make sure things are alright." Muttered Cyrus.

"Well then, what're waiting for? Let's do it to it!" Jeered the blue Hedgehog. Grabbing both Cyrus and Tails' arms, he zoomed in a flash out of the conference room and through two doors to a so called 'mission exit', where an electric mine cart system was.

Before either of his comrades could say anything, Sonic leaped into the nearest minecart with them, and slammed the 'GO' button. "Ka-zam!" Yelled Sonic in excitement.

And with that, the cart drove like a rollercoaster through a long tunnel, before bursting out of an exit pipe.

 **Later, at the entrance to Fludron Mine…..**

The landscape was almost like a barren desert; Not one single sound could be heard anywhere, aside from the chatter between Sonic, Tails, and Cyrus.

Many parts of Roboland were almost like a ghost town, as a sizeable portion of the population were Robians, working for hours in the factories of Robotropolis for many of Robotnik's operations.

"So Mecha saw Badniks going down into the mines through here?" Sonic asked Cyrus.

"Yep, during one of his scout missions. It makes me wonder though, why Badniks? Surely if Robotnik is trying to mine something down there, he'd use Robians instead? Badniks aren't suited to labour from my knowledge." Pondered Cyrus.

"Egg-Breath sure loves keeping some of his plans a secret. The only way we're going to find out is by going down. Ready?" Replied Sonic.

"Ready Sonic!" Spouted Tails, eager to have some action.

"U-h-h-h…Alright Sonic. I have a bad feeling about this you know…" Ignoring Cyrus' worried tone, Sonic slowly tread into the almost dark tunnel, with only a few bulbs lighting the rotting mineshaft.

 **A few minutes later….**

"This is taking too long!" Sonic grumbled, getting bored every second. "I can barely see a darn thing!"

"And I almost wish I never came on this mission…." Muttered Cyrus, who seemed to be a bit scared.

Unbeknownst to the gang, there were a group of Badniks looking down at them.

"UNITS 1349 AND 5953, ACTIVATE THE TRAP." Droned one of them.

"ACTIVATING TRAP!" Retorted the other Badniks simultaneously.

Suddenly, the ground below the Freedom Fighters began to shake violently, as it started cracking without warning. "What the?!" Boomed Sonic. "What's happening to the ground?"

Tails stuck close to Sonic, watching as the ground seemed to melt at their feet. "I think we're in big trouble Sonic!"

"Yeah I figured that big guy!" Cried Sonic, trying to keep his balance. Then, the ground completely fell apart.

"ARRGHHHHH!" Yelled the three Mobians, as they fell down, before landing uncomfortably on a slope, which seemed to stretch for miles into a deeper part of the mine.

"You know? I think we've fell into a trap!" Realised Cyrus, as he sled down the slope alongside his comrades.

"Yeah, I'd figured so! And I think that's the end of it!" Gasped Sonic, pointing at something. Tails also gasped, before Cyrus saw what they were looking at; a bed of spikes, waiting for the gang to fall in and be pierced dead.

"ARGH! SONIC! WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Screamed Cyrus in fright.

Luckily, the blue hedgehog had already come up with a plan; "Quit yapping Cyrus! This cool Hedgehog's got a plan!" Muttered the Blue Blur. "It may be too dangerous to jump while sliding, but if we can slide on our backs, I can lift my legs and spin 'em in a supersonic wave to slow us down!"

"THEN WHAT?! That won't stop us falling in!" Cried Cyrus, still afraid.

"Oh don't be daft! Slowing us down gives me a better chance of jumping with you guys across the spikes!" Snapped the annoyed Hedgehog.

Cyrus didn't have time reply though, as they'd practically almost reached the spikes when Sonic leaned straight onto his back, and spun his legs extremely fast. Tails, being the one to trust Sonic the most, followed suite and also tried slowing them all down.

"SONI-" Yelled Cyrus, before he was cut off by Sonic leaping with them off the rocky slope and safely onto the platform in one piece. However, there seemed to be another cavern entrance at the end of the platform, this time with lights.

"Finally! Now we're not going to have to fumble around in the dark any longer." Sonic grinned, stretching himself a little before entering the cavern. Once his dazed comrades had recovered from the tension, they cautiously followed Sonic into the tunnel, this time looking around for any sign of booby-traps.

Unlike the previous tunnel though, this one seemed to be shorter, as there was a hint of light coming from close by. Could Badniks be close? "There's something there guys! Stay behind me, I'm gonna take a look!" Instructed Sonic.

Much to Sonic's surprise, when he peaked out of the end of the tunnel, he saw before him a spectacular sight. Conveyer Belts everywhere, all transporting the most beautiful crystals a Mobian would ever lay eyes on; shining as bright as diamonds but looking as tough as the hardest rock on Mobius. Gargantuan drills, as sharp as 'needles of death' as miners would have said in the 3100s, digging deeper and deeper into the darkness of the mines below, destroying everything in its path till any hint of a crystal was discovered.

The tales Uncle Chuck had told to Sonic seemed truer than ever though, as Sonic suddenly laid eyes on a horrifying sight above them.

Tails looked around the area before asking Sonic; "What's wrong Sonic?"

But Sonic didn't have time to answer.

Through many cracks in the ceiling came the unfriendly shapes of Badniks of many variations; Caterkillers, Buzz Bombers, Moto Bugs, Bat Brains, Orbinauts and many more. All were crawling, floating or even falling from the cracks with an angry look on their faces, as they begin to surround Sonic and his two companions.

"RUN!" Yelled Sonic, who dashed off without warning, leaping onto the many conveyer belts balancing on stone pillars, while moving moderately slowly.

Wasting no time, Tails and Cyrus followed suite, as Badniks closed in, pursuing them as if they were hunting for sport.

"GET EM LADS! SNAKE BOT NEEDS FLESH! WE'VE BEEN LIVING OFF OLD ORGANIC BATTERIES FOR DAYS!" Screeched a Buzz Bomber, blasting multiple hot-red frying lasers at its prey, hoping to catch one desperately.

Fortunately for the Badniks, Cyrus was getting tired from all the running.

"Ssoni-c-I can'-t keep-up! W-w-w-a-it!"

Tails however, still had enough courage to help his struggling comrade. "Don't worry Cyrus! It's time I showed off a new technique I've been working on, as Sonic usually says!" Cried the young Fox with bravery.

Grabbing his exhausted friend's arms, the two-tailed Miles Prower leaped into the air and immediately began turning his signature tails clockwise like a helicopter with a powerful rotor, lifting himself and Cyrus off the ground. "I knew this would work!" Grinned Tails as he leaned forwards to gain some speed. "Let's catch up with Sonic!"

The crew finally reached another tunnel, but this one was far bigger, and gave enough space for the Badniks to follow without a worry, if they even did worry to begin Bombers closed in on Cyrus, who was still hanging onto Tails.

Cyrus gulped as Buzz Bombers began snapping at his feet, with their small but nasty looking metal fangs. "AHHHH! FASTER TAILS! FASTER!" Screamed Cyrus.

"This is as fast as I can go Cyrus! Don't nag me!" Replied Tails, struggling to hold the weight of the scared Lion.

Sonic meanwhile, wasn't having the best of luck either, he constantly was dodging laser fire coming from all directions, forcing him to leap from wall to wall while occasionally returning to the floor of the enormous tunnel to keep running.

Then, he finally found his chance, and pressed his left hand against his Medallion, transforming it once again into an Electric Guitar. Noticing more Badniks were coming from the ceiling, he violently plucked the strings, making the Guitar cough up as much laser bolts as it could at its targets, with Sonic painstakingly having to continue multi-tasking.

Fortunately, Tails used his helicopter spinning tails to send a wave of wind at the Buzz Bombers, distracting them long enough so that he could catch up with Sonic, who was almost at the end of the tunnel.

"We're almost there Cyrus! Just hold on!" Breathed the fox cub, gripping Cyrus' hands very firmly as he struggled to keep him up in the air.

At last, they were able to get close to the Blue Blur, then hurriedly head into the smaller tunnel, where most of the Badniks were unable to go through, especially with Sonic firing lasers at them in a spot he'd be safest in.

"Ha! Take that bozos!" Jeered Sonic, mocking the Badniks, before noticing that Tails was flying. "Oh wow! I didn't know you could fly Tails!"

Once Tails landed with Cyrus he modestly spoke; "Heh-heh. I guess I'm full of surprises."

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!" Next came a sudden voice from nearby. Now Sonic's attention was immediately shifted; that couldn't be Cyrus' voice, as the lion was with him and Tails! Despite the limited view, the Hedgehog could tell there was someone imprisoned in the next cavern, and very much so facing deadly danger.

"Someone needs our help! Don't waste your time you two! THIS WAY!" Yelled Sonic, facing away from the Badniks and launching himself towards the voice.

The next cavern wasn't as big as the previous one, but there WAS a sight of importance. A girl, a Pink Hedgehog to be precise, was chained up to a wall, with hungry Badniks climbing up for a snack. At first, Sonic thought he recognised the girl, and was about to call to her, but realised something.

It wasn't Sonia!

 **END OF EPISODE 8.**


	9. Mining Peril! Part 2

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 _ **Sonic Underground: The Continuation**_

 _ **Season 3 Episode 9: Mining Peril (Part 2)**_

The entire mission was getting stranger than before for Sonic, Tails and Cyrus.

They'd been assigned to investigate reports of Badnik activity down in the Fludron Mines, but had instead run into Badniks, which seemed to want to eat them instead of using them as organic batteries!

But now, they'd run into a prisoner chained up to the wall of the cave; a Pink Hedgehog.

"HELP ME! PLEASE! THEY'RE ABOUT TO EAT ME!" Screamed the girl, sweating hard as the Badniks crawled up towards her.

"Heh. No problem!" Spoke Sonic, who then leaped high up and immediately curled himself forwards, spinning with his razor-like spikes into the Badniks, smashing them both to pieces.

Then within a second, he uncurled in mid-air and used his Medallion Guitar to blast open the Hedgehog's chains.

"WOA-WOAH!" Cried the girl as she fell downwards, only to be caught by Sonic.

"Gotcha!"

The two then landed safely on the ground, with the smashed Badnik shells lying around them.

"Oh thank you! I was so scared of those Badniks! Who are you? You're cute!" Asked the girl, as Sonic put her down.

"You've never heard of Sonic the Hedgehog, eh kid? Well here he is!" Replied Sonic, a bit surprised that the girl didn't recognise him as a famous Freedom Fighter.

"Ooh! Sonic the Hedgehog! I thought you were just a myth! Wow! So great to meet you! I knew my Tarot Cards were right!" Cried the girl happily.

"Tarot Cards?" Asked Sonic, confused.

"Yeah! They predicted if I went into these caves, I'd meet a great hero! And that's you!"

Sonic was still surprised that a girl of her age, likely about 12 or 13, would go into some old mines.

Plus, why was she not Roboticised? Surely all villages and cities in Roboland were now under control of Robotnik?

"I'm Amy Rose by the way!" She smiled, with her arms behind her back.

"Yeah nice to meet you." Muttered Sonic, who now seemed more interested in the tunnels ahead.

As Tails and Cyrus introduced themselves to Amy, Sonic began to crawl through the tunnel, which was much narrower than the ones before, almost as if it was designed for a small Badnik to fit through.

Just as he reached the end, he peaked through to see an enormous factory below him, with Badniks operating machines, drilling the walls for Crystals and even guarding doors in case of intruders.

"Sonic!" Called Tails. "What's going on down there?"

"Come take a look for yourself buddy! There are a few more small tunnels next to this one you can come through!"

Once Tails and Cyrus came through the tunnels, with Amy following through another, they observed as the Badniks starting loading the crystals onto strange devices, which then glowed and caused the crystals to apparently vanish.

"FASTER YOU FOOLS! DR. ROBOTNIK NEEDS THOSE CRYSTALS RIGHT NOW!" Shouted an enormous Badnik; a Snake robot that towered over the others, hissing and commanding at his minions.

"That's one mean looking bot!" Commented Sonic, making sure only his friends could hear him.

"But you'll beat that scary robot, won't you Sonic?" Asked Amy.

"What kind of question is that?!" Remarked the Blue Hedgehog. "Of course I will! Egg-breath's not built a Badnik yet that can stop me!"

 **Later, in a separate cave….**

"We need a plan Sonic!"

Sonic sighed.

"How many times I have I heard you say that Cyrus?! Urgh." Grumbled the impatient Hedgehog.

Noticing that Sonic was in a bad mood, Tails spoke out to change the subject.

"So Amy, how'd you end up in a creepy place like this? You're not a Freedom Fighter after all." Asked the two-tailed Fox, curious to hear Amy's story.

"Well….." Pondered Amy, thinking back. "It's quite a long story..."

Looking a bit sad for a moment, Amy spoke; "Well I come from the town of Fortaare, which until some weeks ago, was actually very peaceful!"

"That rotten Robotnik never bothered us; as he was too busy dealing with affairs in Robotropolis and you Resistance people! Of course, everyone I knew had heard about you Sonic, you became an idol to many of us! And I think I can see why…." Smiled Amy, looking at Sonic, who frowned in return.

Tails once again stepped in to aid Sonic, who seemed disturbed at Amy constantly eyeing him.

"Erm, do you mind continuing Amy? We can't spend too long in here."

"Oh, sure." She replied, a little upset. "Thing is, while we all thought we were safe from Robotnik, we were proved wrong when we were suddenly ambushed by several Swat Bots! They took control of the entire town, and took away every adult for Roboticisation! Even my carer vanished while I was hiding with my friends, and then we were found and taken as slaves by those horrible bots, which made us work for so many hours! We barely got any free time, because our masters were so relentlessly forcing us to work for most of the day….."

Tails was shocked; "The idea of young Mobians being kept as slaves is horrifying!"

"I agree Tails! Robotnik has no right to treat them like that!" Said Cyrus angrily.

"Get on with the story, kid. I ain't got all day." Grunted Sonic.

"Whatever you say Mister!" Answered Amy. "Like you guys have guessed, it was horrible being a slave, and the only thing apart from sleeping I could during my free time was read my tarot cards, predicting what would happen in the future. I was sick and tired of only working day after day with very short breaks, that when my tarot cards predicted you coming here, I was naturally excited! So then I rushed off in the middle of the night to Fludron, and snuck into the mines. I waited for a day until I was eventually caught by those Badniks you rescued me from Sonic!"

"I see. So kid, now that you've found us, what are you planning to do?" Asked Sonic.

"I'm not really sure actually. Could you possibly take me to the Resistance once you've beaten those awful Badniks?" Amy pleaded.

Sonic thought for a moment.

"Sonic, surely it would make sense to bring her along? I mean, if she was able to evade Robotnik's robots during the night, she might make a good Freedom Fighter if we train her enough! You brought me along for this mission, so what's the matter with doing the same for her?" Commented Tails.

Sonic grunted in reply, reluctantly agreeing with Tails.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's investigate that Snake bot!" Spoke Cyrus.

 **Meanwhile, in a secret cave…..**

Snake Bot was getting impatient. His own Badniks couldn't mine the crystals quick enough!

What's worse was that he also had to report this to his master; Dr. Robotnik!

"Then hurry them up you fool!" Growled the fat scientist on the monitor, wired into the walls of the cave. "Make them work faster! I NEED THOSE CRYSTALS SOONER; otherwise my latest operation will be impossible! Without those crystals there is no way build those special Roboticisers! My plan depends on them! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

Snake Bot shuddered; it was never pleasant to hear his own creator treating him as if he were incompetent.

"With all due respect Sir, I think it would be easier if you sent Robians or Troopers, they'd-"

"SILENCE!" Shouted Robotnik. "It must be Badniks! It is the only way to keep the operation secret! Those Resistance fools don't ever pay attention to Badniks unless they're fighting them!"

"On the contrary Master, it seems they were noticed! I've heard reports from Badnik guards that the Hedgehog is in the Mine!" Insisted Snake Bot.

"WHAT! THAT PERSISTENT SPIKEBALL?! Oh very well, I'll send you some reinforcements, perhaps a group of those prototypes for my latest invention will work!"

 **Later, outside the main mining cave…..**

"Sonic! Looks like they're delivering the last of those crystals!" Whispered Tails.

Sonic observed as a group of Badniks carried a group of the magnificently shiny crystals onto the teleporter, which like before, flashed extremely bright before the crystals vanished.

"You got that right buddy. My guess is that old Walrus-Chops needs them to power something! After all, that's what he wanted to do with the chaos emeralds on South Island!"

The Badniks then muttered in their robotic voices to each other before also using the teleporter.

Tiptoeing forwards to check the rest of the Mining Cave, Sonic listened out for any more Badniks around the area.

"Coast's clear guys. Let's do it to it!" Sonic grinned.

Stepping onto the teleporter with Tails, Cyrus and Amy, the Blue Blur slammed the teleport button on the control panel, causing the same bright light to surround them, before they suddenly felt like their own atoms were momentarily separated!

Within a single second, there was a large THUD! as they materialised on a separate teleporter, this time not inside the Fludron Mines.

Instead, they appeared to be in some sort of room made completely of metal, with bright red metallic floors, bolted together by rusty old screws. Several gears span round on the ceiling, holding a mechanism that at the moment seemed to be doing something strange to the 'roof'. Long white stripes went down across the walls, giving the walls some style to contrast with the simple red colour scheme. As for other structures around, they were either dull grey or shining silver, adding further things to look at inside the mysterious 'room'.

However, everything didn't sound silent or feel very still at all.

The area seemed to be bopping up and down, almost as it were flying…

The Team manoeuvred off the teleporter, to observe the room for themselves; there weren't any Badniks around it seemed.

"Oh wow!" Gasped Amy, looking out a round window, similar to what you'd see in aircraft.

Sonic then turned his attention to a nearby window as well, looked out and saw to his surprise they were actually aboard a flying mechanical blimp!

Metallix Beta had also spoken about blimps or rather; Zeppelins, in his tales about the Great War. The Overlanders had produced several of these to bomb many towns and cities in Moboland, Opreau as well as other Mobian countries.

Obviously, it seemed Robotnik had used a similar idea to produce this Airship, except it was more of a base of operations rather than a military bomber.

Still though, Sonic could imagine that it had been built in Scrap Brain Zone on South Island, perhaps as a backup base once Robotnik's plans there had been foiled.

"Hm. Let's see what's behind this door!" Said Tails, opening a nearby door, revealing 3 sets of staircases going deeper into the airship.

"Looks like we'll have to split up." Suggested Sonic, looking at how far down the staircases seemed to go. "Amy, go with Tails, and Cyrus, you should check the middle one. I'll check the one to the right."

"But Sonic!" Spoke Cyrus. "Wouldn't it better if you went with Tails and Amy?"

"Nah, it's better if we check all three at the same time. Besides, I think Tails has proven himself worthy to look after himself!" Replied Sonic, who really just wanted to get the pleasure of fighting Badniks by himself.

Before any of them could reply back, Sonic zoomed down the staircase.

At the bottom, seemed to be a door with a DANGER! symbol written on it, which Sonic guessed was because it would lead to the outside of the ship.

Slowly but carefully, he turned the handle and opened the airlock door, and held on tight as heavy and cold wind blew in his face from outside, making his fur look a bit more spiky as it was blown sideways.

There was no outer platform here it seemed, this door must've only been meant to be used when the airship had landed.

So to compromise, Sonic carefully placed his feet onto a very narrow frame in the side of the wall of the ship, and held on gaps between screws on parts of the wall.

Very cautiously, he traversed his way across, trying not to look down below at what would be quite a high fall if he lost his grip.

"Come on now, careful cool dude, you can do this…" He thought to himself.

With luck, he managed to find a nearby platform next to a door, leading inside.

But before he could get onto it, the door opened, and he stayed still as a robot walked out; a Swat Drone.

He'd seen one of these on a previous mission; one called 'Agent N'. Although that was quite some time ago.

Swat Drones were essentially upgraded versions of Swat Bots, with more powerful capabilities.

Unlike Troopers however, they were not widely produced and were only used for the most sincere of tasks Robotnik wanted them to perform.

Once the Swat Drone had exited the platform through a separate door, Sonic, despite his hands sweating through his white gloves a little, grabbed onto the bars of the platform and lifted himself over.

Interesting, the platform seemed to stretch across the back of the outer side of the blimp, so Sonic curiously made his round, trying to see whether there was anything to find.

Scaling across the ship on the platform, he saw a ladder leading up to a higher part of the ship, just below the top red area where they'd teleported into.

"Hm, what do we have here?"

Naturally, going up was a good idea in Sonic's book, so he grabbed hold of the ladder and manoeuvred upwards.

At first glance, all Sonic could see at the top were a couple of gun turrets.

But as soon he got up, he found himself face to face with a pair of blue Badniks, which seemed to be based off him!

"What the?!" Gasped Sonic as one of the Sonic Badniks hurled towards in a spike ball form.

Jumping away, the robot narrowly missed him, but then continued attacking with its comrade.

"URGH!"

The Blue Hedgehog did his best to fend them both off with a decent defensive attack, but not even his spin attack seemed to harm them.

Then, he attempted to fire lasers at them with his Medallion Guitar, which also seemed to have no effect, as the lasers harmlessly bounced off.

Even when Sonic tried copying his opponents, it was no use as the Badniks were made of a much tougher metal than regular ones.

Unbeknownst to the distracted Hedgehog, a Swat Drone was climbing up the ladder too, and without warning fired a stun shot with its arm cannon at the Freedom Fighter.

KZZZT!

Knocked unconscious, Sonic was picked up by the Swat Drone who ordered to the Badniks; "TAKE HIM TO SNAKE BOT. HE WILL WANT TO SEE PRIORITY 1 HEDGEHOG WITH THE OTHER PRISONERS.

Obeying the Swat Drone instantly, the Sonic Badniks took their stunned prisoner from the Drone and went back down onto the platform, heading to their master…

 **Later, at another part of the outer section of the Sky Base….**

Three of the Freedom Fighters were now tied to a wall, as Snake Bot and others Badniks watched upon, holding Amy Rose hostage.

"Cyrus you idiot! Why didn't you and the others just keep out of sight?! Surely it was that easy!" Growled Sonic in disappointment at his comrade.

"Sorry Sonic, but they took us by surprise! We didn't know there were Swat Drones on board!" Insisted Cyrus.

"SONIC THE HEDGEHOG! HOW PLEASED I AM TO HAVE YOU IN MY CLUTCHES! HEH HEH." Rasped Snake Bot with pride.

"Yeah yeah ugly. Big deal. There's a thing called escaping. Have you ever heard of it?" Replied Sonic sarcastically with a bit nonchalance.

"AH MY DEAR HEDGEHOG, BUT I'M AFRAID THERE WILL BE NO ESCAPING FOR YOU HERE. I WOULD TAKE YOU TO ROBOTNIK, BUT I THINK NOT. PERHAPS HE'D BE HAPPIER WITH YOU DEAD!" Sneered the enormous Badnik, turning to one of the Swat Drones beside him.

"SWAT DRONE UNIT 1828! ACTIVATE THE EXECUTION DEVICE!"

Cyrus gulped as a wall of spikes on tracks began moving towards them.

"AHHH! NOT AGAIN!" Cyrus screamed.

"I SHALL ENJOY WATCHING YOU DIE, FREEDOM FIGHTERS! PREPARE YOURSELVES! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Chuckled Snake Bot, as Sonic put his arms in front of his eyes, bracing himself for impact…..

 **END OF EPISODE 9.**


	10. Mining Peril! Part 3

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 _ **Sonic Underground: The Continuation**_

 _ **Season 3 Episode 10: Mining Peril (Part 3)**_

Sonic, Tails, Cyrus and the young Amy Rose had teleported to an Airship of Robotnik's where Crystals from the Fludron Mines had been taken to, for one of the evil Dictator's latest schemes.

However, three of the Freedom Fighters were now tied to a wall, as the dastardly Snake Bot and others Badniks watched upon, holding Amy hostage.

"Cyrus you idiot! Why didn't you and the others just keep out of sight?! Surely it was that easy!" Growled Sonic in disappointment at his comrade.

"Sorry Sonic, but they took us by surprise! We didn't know there were Swat Drones on board!" Insisted Cyrus.

"SONIC THE HEDGEHOG! HOW PLEASED I AM TO HAVE YOU IN MY CLUTCHES! HEH HEH." Rasped Snake Bot with pride.

"Yeah yeah ugly. Big deal. There's a thing called escaping. Have you ever heard of it?" Replied Sonic sarcastically with a bit nonchalance.

"AH MY DEAR HEDGEHOG, BUT I'M AFRAID THERE WILL BE NO ESCAPING FOR YOU HERE. I WOULD TAKE YOU TO ROBOTNIK, BUT I THINK NOT. PERHAPS HE'D BE HAPPIER WITH YOU DEAD!" Sneered the enormous Badnik, turning to one of the Swat Drones beside him.

"SWAT DRONE UNIT 1828! ACTIVATE THE EXECUTION DEVICE!"

Cyrus gulped as a wall of spikes on tracks began moving towards them.

"AHHH! NOT AGAIN!" Cyrus screamed.

"I SHALL ENJOY WATCHING YOU DIE, FREEDOM FIGHTERS! PREPARE YOURSELVES! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Chuckled Snake Bot, as Sonic put his arms in front of his eyes, bracing himself for impact…..

Suddenly, Amy shouted; NO!

She kicked the left leg of the Swat Drone holding her, then punched its laser cannon arm in the direction of the Spike Wall, making it accidentally blast it, just before it could impact with the Prisoners.

"You're not going to hurt them! NO WAY WILL YOU KILL THEM!" Shouted Amy, as she managed to free herself and began attacking the Badniks around her, with a surprising amount of courage.

"DESTROY HER! SHE MUSN'T COMPROMISE OUR PLAN!" Commanded the furious Snake Bot.

"We can't just let her fight them alone Sonic! Free us quickly!" Commented Cyrus.

"I hate to admit it Cyrus but you're right!" Answered Sonic, who began spinning his legs and feet into a blurry motion, using them as a saw to cut their ropes open.

Wasting no time, the Freedom Fighters leaped up onto the observation platform and assisted Amy in battling the Badniks and the Swat Drones, while Snake Bot retreated higher up in the Airship.

SMASH!

With one swing of his fist, Sonic instantly smashed a Buzz Bomber to bits, and didn't even give the other Badniks any time to react, as he Spin Attacked them instantly; these Badniks were no match for him.

He couldn't let Snake Bot get away though; he had to chase after him!

Ignoring the other Badniks around him, Sonic sped off towards another set of platforms outside the airship, which all had plenty of obstacles set up for intruders such as him.

Rolling onto a Conveyer Belt, Sonic saw Snake Bot slithering up a wall, heading for the very top of the Sky Base.

Suddenly, Snake Bot shouted to his Badnik Minions; INCREASE THE SPEED IMMEDIATELY! WE HAVE REACHED THE PERFECT POINT FOR REINFORCEMENTS!

Without warning, the Sky Base's rocket boosters erupted with enormous flames, sending it hurtling at a very high speed!

"WOOAH!" Sonic clang on for dear life as he could no longer afford to stand on the conveyer belt without falling off!

CRASH!

Then, Sky Base landed with a slight crash, in a place that Sonic recognised; Green Hill Zone of South Island.

"UNLOAD THE CRYSTALS!" Shouted Snake Bot in frustration. "AND GATHER AS MANY ORGANIC BATTERIES AS POSSIBLE!"

In the confusion, several Mobian residents of South Island wandered out of their homes in shock as they were viciously attacked by Badniks and Swat Drones!

"CAPTAIN SLEET BETTER ARRIVE HERE BY NOW! I CAN'T SPEND TOO LONG DEALING WITH THESE PESTS!" Snarled Snake Bot, obviously tired of the constant delays to the Operation.

Lower down on the Sky Base; Tails, Amy and Cyrus recovered from the crash, only to see as several Mobians ran for their lives from a Swat Drone firing non-stop at them.

"I don't know where we are, but those people are in danger!" Gasped Amy at what she was seeing.

"Time we did what Freedom Fighters did best! Saving the people of Mobius!" Cheered Tails triumphantly, holding his fist in the air like some sort of superhero.

Running off the crashed airship, the Freedom Fighters engaged into battle with the robots.

Meanwhile, near the Mountain Zone of the island, Sonic was hot on the heels of Snake Bot.

"Give it up Snake Bot! There's no way for you to deliver those crystals now!" Yelled Sonic.

"WRONG HEDGEHOG! THEY ARE ALREADY ON THEIR WAY TO ROBOTNIK!" Snapped Snake Bot, who was next to a cliff face.

Then, a bright flash of light momentarily blinded Sonic, who skidded to a halt and covered his eyes.

A portal to the Special Zone! Of course!

Sonic had encountered and used many of these during his adventure on South Island recently, where Robotnik had unleashed the Badnik robots for the first time, in an attempt to find the 6 legendary Chaos Emeralds.

But now it seemed Snake Bot himself was actually using one to escape!

The Blue Blur opened his eyes in time to see Snake Bot entering the portal, so he dashed at immense speed to continue chasing the giant Badnik.

Much to his surprise, once he had entered the Portal, not only was there no sign of Snake Bot, but he saw a floating Facility similar to those Robotnik had in Roboland, except it wasn't on any ground.

The entire Special Zone was the definition of cosmic madness; swirling skies that changed colour and showed several wacky shapes, floating planetoids and objects that seemed to make the area feel almost like a dimensional junkyard of some kind.

The last time he saw this place, he was encased in some sort of 360 degrees rotating maze, where he'd used to brains and wits to make his way to one of the Chaos Emeralds guarded by crystal barriers.

"This is insane! But Mondo-cool in a way…." Muttered Sonic, who then manoeuvred his way to the floating Facility, determined to figure out what Snake Bot was up to.

 **Meanwhile, in a hidden base…**

Doctor Robotnik, wearing a welding mask, was just making some finishing touches to some sort of robotic engine, when one of his Henchmen, Captain Sleet, walked in and saluted his Master.

"Lord Robotnik! I have a message from Snake Bot! He has sent the crystals on their way, ready for them to be squeezed of their energy!" Reported the armoured Captain, who was now in command of Trooper Squads over Mobius for Robotnik's operations.

"Eggsellent, Captain! This time that infuriating Spikeball shall not stand a chance, once my glorious new invention is complete! Heh heh." Replied Robotnik with an evil grin, pleased about the progress of his current operation.

"Unfortunately, Sky Base has crashed on South Island, and a group of Freedom Fighters are causing trouble for the Badniks and small amount of Swat Drones available, Sir. I have been requested to send reinforcements to assist our units. Shall I proceed?" Asked Sleet.

"Very well, Captain. You have my permission. If Snake Bot's incompetent forces cannot defeat a mere set of Freedom Fighters than he most certainly will have to rely on us!" Grunted the Scientist, still busy welding an unfinished machine.

 **Several minutes later, back on South Island…..**

At first, things seemed to go well for the Freedom Fighters still battling Badniks and Swat Drones, until….

"ATTENTION FREEDOM FIGHTERS!" Boomed a voice from the coast of Green Hill Zone; Sleet!

A small cruiser was heading straight to the island, armed with only a few cannons.

The Mobian Wolf held a large megaphone to his mouth and ordered; "SURRENDER, OR WE WILL BE FORCED TO DESTROY YOU!"

"No way! We're not giving up!" Called Tails with some courage.

"YOU'LL REGRET SAYING THAT LITTLE FOOL!" Replied Sleet in a nasty sounding tone.

Sleet lowered the megaphone, and then turned to a Trooper operating some controls.

"Aim, Unit 5864!"

"AFFIRMATIVE, SIR." Droned the Trooper Badnik.

The Badnik then aimed a cannon the size of a bull straight at the coast, ready to fire.

"FIRE!" Shouted Sleet in triumph.

BOM!

Instead of cannon balls or shells, the cannon fired many pods onto the coast, which suddenly broke apart, revealing Troopers encased inside!

"SQUAD LEADER 1249 HAS LANDED ON SOUTH ISLAND. PREPARE TO ENGAGE OFFENSIVE."

Pulling their own Laser Blaster from their backs, the Troopers immediately marched forwards to attack the Freedom Fighters.

"Incoming!" Spoke Cyrus, pointing at the marching Troopers.

Tails then hurtled towards them, attempting to smash as many he could, but was intercepted by a laser shot coming from a Swat Drone, which hit the ground behind him, sending him flying.

"OOOOOFFFF!" Cried Tails, as he landed with a thud on the grass.

The Fox Cub attempted to get up, only to find a blaster in his face.

"RESISTANCE IS USELESS, FREEDOM FIGHTER. YOU ARE TO BE ROBOTICISED UPON ARRIVAL TO ROBOTROPOLIS."

Even Amy and Cyrus weren't able to handle all the robots around them; they had been captured too!

Then, Sleet arrived on the Coast, and paced up to his prisoners.

"Well well! What do we have here? 3 members of the Resistance, trying to cause Snake Bot's group some trouble eh?" Chuckled the Captain.

"And look!" He continued, facing Amy and Tails. "It's that child Fox who escaped the capture of his parents! Not so tough now, are you? Eheheh."

"You can't win this time Sleet! Sonic's gonna stop you!" Growled Tails, trying to ignore the reference Sleet had made to their first encounter.

"And where is your spiky friend then? I don't see him anywhere. Perhaps Snake Bot finished him off!"

"NO! HE CAN'T HAVE! Sonic's tougher than you think, ugly!" Yelled Amy, furious at Sleet.

"And you, girl, have quite a lot of attitude for a young Hedgehog! Well not to fear, Roboticisation will cure you of your rebellious motives! TAKE THEM ABOARD THE SHIP AT ONCE!"

 **Back in the Special Zone…..**

The whole facility was like a maze!

Sonic was struggling to find his way to any sort of control room, if there even was one.

Snake Bot was toying with him.

Yes that had to be it.

Every time Sonic thought he saw an entrance to the area, a dead end would be there instead.

Still looking around for a potential entrance as before, he wondered to himself; how could an entrance just vanish out of nowhere?

Scratching his head for answers, he then spotted another entrance, and then took an alternative approach.

This time, he walked slowly over to the door, which seemed to be still at first.

Without warning however, it began shimmering before the Hedgehog's very eyes!

After a few seconds though, it remerged as a dead end like before.

"Hm. Is Snake Bot actually blocking the entrances? Something's not right about this…." Pondered Sonic to himself. "Only one thing for it then."

With a simple touch, the Blue Blur was able to feel the frame of the door still in its place, but unseen.

Of course! The dead end was just an illusion!

Using his sense of touch to grab the invisible handle, he pulled open the door to reveal Snake Bot, sending a crystal into yet another teleporter.

"AND THAT'S THE SPARE ONE SENT! PERFECT!" Rasped the Giant Badnik, not noticing his enemy's presence.

"Now's my chance!" The courageous Freedom Fighter thought to himself.

Kneeling down, the Hedgehog silently put his arms behind him.

Fixed on the neck of his opponent, Sonic prepared himself to attack.

With the speed of a hornet and a spin of a saw, the Blue Hedgehog spin attacked Snake Bot in the neck, both slightly damaging and confusing the Robot.

"YOU!" Cried the Badnik as Sonic landed on the floor. "I'LL PULVERISE YOU SPIKEBALL!"

Much to Sonic's surprise, his opponent unleashed a burst of dancing flames, combined together to form a fuming fireball.

Narrowly dodging the attack and its impact upon the floor, Sonic changed his strategy.

This time, he used his Medallion Guitar to fire at Snake Bot while backing away to an exit door, that lead out to an observation platform.

"DIE YOU PERSISTENT FOOL!"

The Badnik was obviously getting frustrated with his attack failing to harm a simple Blue Hedgehog, so he to changed his strategy of attack.

As soon as Sonic managed to get onto the platform, which was absolutely massive in width, he turned around and dashed away from the door as Snake Bot smashed straight through it, steaming mad.

Suddenly, two flaps in the side of the towering machine's body opened up, as a pair of enormous rocket boosters emerged from the inside, rip-roaring into life.

Sonic immediately took notice and began to zoom off into the distance, knowing precisely what his opponent was going to do.

BOM!

With immense speed, only a bit slower than Sonic himself, Snake Bot blasted across the platform towards Sonic, who tactically did a 180 degree turn and spin jumped his way to the roof of the Facility, determined to think of a way to defeat the villainous robot quick.

"DO NOT THINK YOU CAN RUN FROM YOUR DESTRUCTION, SONIC!" Taunted the Hedgehog's cocky opponent.

Next in the line of attacks, Snake Bot blasted several spiked mace balls in front of Sonic, which bounced and rolled towards him.

"WOAH!" Gasped Sonic, narrowly avoiding one mace ball bouncing above his head.

"HAVING TROUBLE HEDGEHOG? WELL HOW ABOUT THIS!"

More mace balls!

However, these actually were painted blue for some reason, and then seemed to actually uncurl into Sonic Badniks!

"Oh perfect! You bozos again. Here for a rematch? You got one!" Smirked the Blue Blur.

Fortunately, Sonic this time had an advantage over his robotic copies; he was running fast along a terrain that his two new opponents would have trouble keeping up. Plus, they weren't as fast as the Hedgehog, seeing as they only had a few of Sonic's key abilities!

To compromise with their disadvantage however, the Badniks both relied on Snake Bot and themselves to fire homing lasers all around the place, giving Sonic a hard time.

"Jeez! You bozos really hate me, don't ya?" Muttered Sonic, side stepping quickly while keeping his running momentum in order to dodge the lasers.

Although, the Blue Hedgehog knew he couldn't keep this up forever, otherwise he'd have no space left to run, and he'd therefore be quite vulnerable.

Quickly devising a plan of action, Sonic took a risk by lowering his speed, allowing him to get closer to Snake Bot, who was still chasing him.

Just as he expected, the two Sonic Badniks took notice, and spin jumped towards Sonic, using homing properties.

Much to Snake Bot's confusion though, the Blue Blur actually spin attacked backwards onto the head, making the Badnik slightly dazed.

"ARRRGH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU LITTLE PEST?!" Growled Snake Bot, ceasing his laser fire.

"Sorry, no time to talk bozo. INCOMING!" Grinned Sonic.

Leaping off the giant Badnik and back onto the roof, the teenage Hedgehog watched as the Sonic Badniks smashed into the head of the Serpent robot, with an almighty KRAKADOOM!

With an electronic scowl, Snake Bot exploded to pieces, just as a flash of bright light blinded Sonic and spread over the roof.

 **A few minutes later, elsewhere…**

Sonic, regaining consciousness, found himself not on South Island, but right outside the Fludron Mine entrance, with the SU Camper Van close around more as his vision started to improve; he saw bits of smoking debris of electronics and metal lying around; they were the remains of Snake Bot and the Sonic Badniks.

"Well then, looks like I won!" Grinned the slightly bruised Hedgehog.

Getting up, he suddenly realised something else; the others were gone!"Of course." He thought to himself, they'd been left to fight Snake Bot's minions on South Island, all by themselves, while Sonic dealt with Snake Bot!

"Darn! They don't stand a chance against that many robots! I've gotta warn somebody at Resistance HQ!" Face palmed Sonic, realising the reality of the situation.

Leaving in the camper van for Robotropolis, Sonic was determined to get some help from his fellow Freedom Fighters to rescue Tails, Amy and Cyrus.

But who would help?

 **END OF EPISODE 10 AND MINING PERIL!**

 _Author's Note: This arc may have ended, but this cliffhanger will be resolved in the next chapter!_


	11. The Honest Thief

Note: This chapter has two titles. Enjoy!

* * *

 **RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 ** _Sonic Underground: The Continuation_**

 ** _Season 3 Episode 11: The Honest Thief/The Plight of Downunda_**

Downunda.

Definitely one of the most important countries in all of Mobius. It was the country from which most of the Mobian Society's industrial supplies came from and the place from which the first Mobians to show dislike for the Overlanders before the Great War stemmed from.

In today's Mobius however, the government was almost in shatters from daily attacks by the tyrant Doctor Ivo Robotnik, who ruled the entirety of Roboland after his coup in 3224. And now the vile Dictator had turned his gaze to Downunda, hoping to claim its industrial power for himself. So far, he had successfully gained a quarter of the country; the area around Mount Mobius, also known as The Veg-O-Mountain.

The only reason for Robotnik's failure to conquer more of the country was due to the Downundian Resistance, a Freedom Fighter group that operated in Downunda only, unlike the regular Resistance based in Roboland, which had members from almost every Mobian Country excluding Downunda.

Several Prison Camps had been built in Robotnik's sector of the country, where many Freedom Fighters captured by Troopers across Mobius were taken to. Unfortunately for them, no matter what country they were arrested in, the citizens and governments of those countries; Mobian or Overlander, did nothing to help, as since the Great War many countries had become somewhat pacifist and knew that the Robotnik Empire was a strong power that could not be convinced otherwise to stop his evil deeds.

Sometimes, Downunda would be the only place to which captured Freedom Fighters could go, as common storms and Resistance attacks could prevent ships from reaching the Robotropolis docking bays.

And so it wasn't a huge surprise for the time when a certain group of Freedom Fighters were travelling on board one of Robotnik's small Cruisers….

 **Out in the Opreauian Sea…..**

"THIS STORM IS GETTING UNBEARABLE! GET THIS SHIP MOVING!" Shouted Captain Sleet, a dastardly minion of Dr. Robotnik. "WE'VE BEEN TRAVELLING FOR 2 HOURS NOW!"

"You don't say…" Muttered Cyrus, one of the prisoners being escorted.

He along with Miles 'Tails' Prower and new recruit Amy Rose had been captured on a mission that had started in the Fludron Mines in Roboland, but suddenly took them to South Island after one of Robotnik's Airships crashed there with them.

Unfortunately, Sleet's reinforcements requested by the giant Badnik known as Snake Bot were too much to handle, so now they were stuck on this cruiser headed for Robotropolis.

However, the ship had entered a terrible Storm, and was taking longer to reach its destination.

"I still can't believe Sonic abandoned us! How on Mobius are we going to get out of this situation?!" Muttered Cyrus quietly so that Sleet and the Troopers could not hear him.

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE….

The amount of Thunder was accelerating every minute it seemed, as the Storm was getting more and more unbearable.

"Cyrus! Don't be so cruel! I don't think Sonic meant to do this. He probably got occupied with chasing after that nasty Snake Bot!" Snapped Amy, who didn't like it when Cyrus complained about some of Sonic's actions.

"Amy's right Cyrus. I don't think Sonic would have been able to go after Snake Bot if he was helping us. Give him a break!"

Cyrus sighed. "Sorry guys, I'm just a bit nervous. They're going to roboticise us soon!"

"That's if they manage to get us out of this infernal storm! Those clouds look very angry right now!"

ZAP!

Lightning flashed in all directions; one bolt even scorched part of the cruiser!

"I COMMANDED YOU TO SPEED THIS SHIP UP!" Yelled Sleet in fury, now holding up a megaphone so that the Troopers could hear him in the noise of the loud thunder.

BANG!

All of a sudden, an explosion rocked the cruiser, as another boat emerged from the storm; a small cruiser stolen by Freedom Fighters!

"CAPTAIN SLEET!" Droned a Trooper at its highest speaking volume. "OUR HULL HAS BEEN DAMAGED! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK FROM RESISTANCE MEMBERS!"

"THEN WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR YOU METAL MORON?! FIRE CANNONS!" Commanded Sleet, who was already very frustrated by the weather conditions.

BOM! BOM! BOM! BANG! BANG!

Both cruisers fired at each other rapidly, both getting damaged badly.

Unfortunately for Cyrus and his comrades, the Freedom Fighter cruiser was too badly damaged, and it was left to sink underwater and its crew with it much to Amy and Tails' shock.

"There goes our only hope of rescue!" Cried Cyrus.

The screams of the Mobian crewmen could only just be heard, as the thunder was at its utter loudest. It was such cruelty of one of Robotnik's minions to simply leave his enemies to drown.

Despite that, Sleet's Cruiser had too sustained heavy damage.

"CAPTAIN SLEET! THE DAMAGE REPORT SHOWS THAT 2 OF THE OIL TANKS HAVE BURST! WE ONLY HAVE ENOUGH FUEL FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 AND A ½ HOUR JOURNEY FROM THIS POINT." Reported a Trooper.

"THEN GET US TO ROBOTROPOLIS FAST, YOU METAL HEAD!" Shouted back Sleet.

"IMPOSSIBLE IN THIS STORM SIR. WE RISK HEADING INTO LIGHTNING AS WELL AS RUNNING OUT OF FUEL. SUGGEST ALTERNATIVE DESTINATION: DOWUNDA PRISON CAMP." Replied the Trooper, without any emotion; simply speaking with a bare-bones electronic voice.

"OH STOP BABBLING YOU STUPID MACHINE! TAKE US TO DOWNUNDA IF WE MUST, BUT DON'T WASTE MY TIME!"

With that, the cruiser changed course and set sail for Downunda, where Cyrus, Tails and Amy had actually never been to.

 **Deep down, in a hidden underground section of Robotropolis….**

The secret base of the Robolandian Resistance was finally getting a larger population, with many exhausted Freedom Fighters returning from missions at long last; some even bringing some captured Mobian refugees, who'd been kept as slaves in order to avoid Roboticisation.

Although, the base was still generally quite dark in some areas, with only the glowing lights from the ceiling and the energy cube core floating up and down inside the warped looking tube structure connected to the main computer with all its monitors and equipment placed on desks. It was certain that Metallix Beta hadn't found the time to properly implement a lighting system to the main lobby.

Right now, the old mechanical hedgehog was among those who returned from missions across Mobius, and was currently working on some sort of contraption that he had wired to the main computer; parts of it were painted red, with complex silver machinery plastered around a range of circuitboards all performing important functions. It was the sort of thing you'd expect a scientist to be working on, but instead you had an intelligent automaton shaped like a hedgehog fiddling with it.

Beta was very busy trying to build and test the strange machine, and usually told anyone who tried to discuss something with him that he was too occupied to talk.

"AND WE GO THROUGH….TO THE NIGHT!" Sang the robot to himself with his electronic voice.

"BRING HOPE TO MOBIUS, IN THE JAWS OF T-"

BANG! PFFT! PFFT!

"CRRGGG-COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!" Coughed Beta electronically, brushing away the smoke from the short circuited machinery of the contraption, a bit disappointed at the failure of his attempt to get the darn thing operating and then into the charge mode he had programmed into it.

"DEAR ME. THIS WON'T DO AT ALL!" He muttered. "NOW THEN, WHERE'S THE DYNAMICO MODULATOR?"

At that moment, Manic Hedgehog; the other outlawed Prince of Mobius, as well as the brother of famous hero Sonic The Hedgehog and the very much suitably titled Princess Sonia Hedgehog.

"Uh Mecha? What on Mobius are you doing now? Sonic wants to speak with you!" Spoke the curly green haired Hedgehog.

"NOT NOW MANIC. AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS DAFT OLD THING DOESN'T SEEM TO POWER UP PROPERLY. ONE OR MORE CIRCUIT BOARDS ALWAYS SEEM TO BURST OUT ON ME!" Replied the robot, still trying to busy.

"But Sonic says it's urgent!" Insisted Manic.

"I TOLD YOU MANIC, I'M NOT TO BE DISTURBED WHILE I'M WORKING ON THIS!" Sighed Beta.

"What is that thing anyway? Looks like part of the type of Mech that Robotnik would build!" Asked Manic curiously.

Beta's digital eyes blinked.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK? IT'S A TELEPORTATION ENGINE. IF I CAN FIRE IT UP WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF POWER, IT'LL HOPEFULLY WORK!"

"Why would you need a teleportation engine? Those sorts of things drain a lot of power you know! Besides, it's rare for any of them to be reliable." Commented Manic, who was also a bit of a technology expert.

"BECAUSE MY OLD CHAP, ONCE I'VE FIGURED OUT A WAY TO GET SOME COSMIC ENERGY INTO THIS THING, I CAN USE IT TO RETURN TO MY OWN DIMENSION!" Exclaimed the mechanical Hedgehog.

Manic was surprised and a little confused.

"Wait what? You're trying to go back to your world already?!"

"MANIC, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS! FROM 3189 TO 3238 IS A LONG TIME YOU KNOW!" Replied Beta. "DON'T WORRY; I'M NOT LEAVING JUST YET. THIS THING PROBABLY WON'T WORK AS I WILL EVENTUALLY ATTEMPT TO MAKE IT DO ONCE I UPGRADE IT. BESIDES, I'VE GOT TO GET STARTED WITH A FINDING A WAY HOME. I PROMISE I'LL HELP YOU DEFEAT ROBOTNIK THOUGH!"

"If you say so Mecha. I hope you know what you're doing." Sighed Manic.

"I WILL IF I HAD SOME ASSISTANCE. COULD YOU CALL CYRUS ALONG? HE'S PROBABLY WITH SONIC. DIDN'T THEY RETURN FROM A MISSION RECENTLY?"

"Uhh….Cyrus isn't here. Only Sonic came in."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Boomed Beta, turning to face his friend.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you about Mecha! Sonic got separated from Cyrus and Tails on his mission and thinks they've now been captured!" Explained the Green Hedgehog.

"YOU'RE SERIOUS AREN'T YOU? OH…THAT'S NOT GOOD. THEN WE WON'T HAVE ENOUGH OUR BEST MISSION STRATEGIST AROUND!"

Dropping the wrench he was holding, Metallix dashed over to one of the desks over at the main computer, and hurriedly typed some commands in.

"What're up to now?" Asked Manic.

"I NEED TO HACK INTO ROBOTNIK'S NETWORK FOR A FEW SECONDS. I MIGHT BE ABLE TO DECODE SOME MESSAGES RELATING TO CYRUS AND TAILS' CAPTURE!" Said Metallix.

Eventually, the two were able to listen into radio messages being sent by Troopers to Robotropolis, some of which were delayed until one message had finished being broadcast, if Troopers were sending messages at the same time.

Unfortunately, it would only take 2 minutes before any hacking software such as the one Beta was using would be detected, so they would have to listen out carefully.

Several Binary beeping sounds were soon heard from the computer, which only Beta could translate at the moment.

01000101 01001101 01000101 01010010 01000111 01000101 01001110 01000011 01011001 00100000 01001101 01000101 01010011 01010011 01000001 01000111 01000101 00100000 01010100 01001111 00100000 01010010 01001111 01000010 01001111 01010100 01010010 01001111 01010000 01001111 01001100 01001001 01010011 00101101 01010010 01000101 01010001 01010101 01000101 01010011 01010100 00100000 01000100 01001111 01000011 01001011 00100000 01001111 01000110 00100000 01000100 01001111 01010111 01001110 01010101 01001110 01000100 01000001 00100000 01010000 01010010 01001001 01010011 01001111 01001110 00100000 01000011 01000001 01001101 01010000 00100000 01010100 01001111 00100000 01010111 01000001 01001001 01010100 00100000 01000110 01001111 01010010 00100000 01000001 01010010 01010010 01001001 01010110 01000001 01001100 00100000 01001111 01000110 00100000 01000011 01010010 01010101 01001001 01010011 01000101 01010010 00100000 00110001 00110011 00110100 00110101 00101101 01000011 01010010 01010101 01001001 01010011 01000101 01010010 00100000 01001000 01000001 01010011 00100000 01000010 01000101 01000101 01001110 00100000 01000001 01010100 01010100 01000001 01000011 01001011 01000101 01000100 00100000 01000010 01011001 00100000 01010011 01010100 01001111 01001100 01000101 01001110 00100000 01010010 01000101 01010011 01001001 01010011 01010100 01000001 01001110 01000011 01000101 00100000, read the enormous binary message then displayed on screen by Metallix's careful listening.

"HM. MY BINARY TRANSLATOR ISN'T QUITE WORKING. LET'S SEE IF WE CAN FIND THE SAME MESSAGE ON MORSE CODE FREQUENCIES AND CONVERT THE BINARY." Suggested the robot.

. - . .-. -. . -. -.-. -.- - . ... ... .- -. . - - .-. - -... - - .-. - .-. - .-.. .. ... -····- .-. . -.- ..- . ... - -.. - -.-. -.- - ..-. -.. - .- -. ..- -. -.. .- .-. .-. .. ... - -. -.-. .- - .-. - - .- .- .. - ..-. - .-. .- .-. .-. .. ...- .- .-.. - ..-. -.-. .-. ..- .. ... . .-. .- ...- ...- ... -····- -.-. .-. ..- .. ... . .-. ... .- ... -... . . -. .- - - .- -.-. -.- . -.. -... -.- ... - - .-.. . -. .-. . ... .. ... - .- -. -.-. . -.-. .-. ..- .. ... . .-. -····- ... - - .-. - ... .- ... -... . . -. - - - ... - .-. - -. -. - - -. . - - ... .-. - ..- -. ... - - .-. - -... - - .-. - .-. - .-.. .. ... .. -. - .. - . -····- -. . .- .-. .-. .. ... - -. . .-. ... - - -... . -.. . .-.. .. ...- . .-. . -.. - - -.. - .- -. ..- -. -.. .- .. - - . -.. .. .- - . .-.. -.- ·-·-·- appeared on the screen; this time, Beta seemed to have an easier time translating it.

"THERE WE GO!" Clicking the 'DISCONNECT FROM ROBOTNIK EMPIRE NETWORK' button, the mechanical hedgehog now knew what was going on.

"THE MESSAGE READS: **_EMERGENCY MESSAGE TO ROBOTROPOLIS-REQUEST DOCK OF DOWNUNDA PRISON CAMP TO WAIT FOR ARRIVAL OF CRUISER 1345-CRUISER HAS BEEN ATTACKED BY STOLEN RESISTANCE CRUISER-STORM HAS BEEN TOO STRONG TO GET THROUGH TO ROBOTROPOLIS IN TIME-NEW PRISONERS TO BE DELIVERED TO DOWNUNDA IMMEDIATELY."_**

"Wait…" Pondered Manic. "Prisoners?! You don't think that means…."

"EXACTLY! THEY'RE STILL UN-ROBOTICISED! THE CRUISER IS HEADING TO DOWNUNDA INSTEAD IT SEEMS. WE'LL JUST HAVE TO GO AFTER THEM." Explained Beta.

"What about Sonic? Should we bring him along too?" Asked Manic.

"I THINK HE'S A BIT TIRED FROM THAT MISSION IN THE MINES. LET'S GET MOVING!"

 **Later, at the Roboland border…**

"Perfect! I see a Water Bike!" Whispered Manic.

"GOOD EYE MANIC. WE JUST NEED TO AVOID DETECTION WHILE STARTING IT UP." Replied Beta, looking around the border, which had recently received more Trooper guards, despite the security systems of the area having been destroyed, and the Border therefore; breached.

"COAST'S CLEAR. YOU START IT UP MANIC. GO!" Ordered Beta.

Nodding, the Green Hedgehog tiptoed up to the Water Bike and silently attempted to switch on the engine.

Luckily, as the engine started up, no Troopers seemed to be nearby or even come towards the sound of the engine. Leaving Roboland wouldn't be hard this time.

"Hop on Mecha!" Called Manic.

Leaping onto the back of the Water Bike, with Manic as the driver, Metallix was ready to head off for Downunda.

Revving up the engine and checking the fuel (which was at 100%), the Royal Hedgehog slammed his foot on the pedal; and off they went!

 **A few hours later, past Opreau….**

"So…..What's it like?" Asked Manic. "Is it more beautiful than Roboland?"

The mechanical Hedgehog blinked.

"I ASSUME YOU THINK I'M SOME SORT OF GEOGRAPHY TEACHER, MANIC? YOU YOUNG FREEDOM FIGHTERS ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS ABOUT MOBIUS' GEOGRAPHY."

"No no. I just think that since you're an expert on Mobius from all your travels during that Great War, you'd be able to tell me. I've never been there as you know." Spoke Manic honestly, steering the Vehicle to the left.

"SO YOU DO THINK I'M A GEOGRAPHY TEACHER!" Answered the robot, poking fun at Manic a little.

"Hey!"

"HA HA. ALRIGHT THEN. DOWNUNDA IS FILLED WITH TONS OF CANYONS, STRECHING MOSTLY ACROSS THE OUTER SECTION OF THE COUNTRY. BUT THERE IS ONE BIG CANYON AT ONE END, THAT'S WHERE MOUNT MOBIUS IS. ROBOTNIK CONTROLS THAT AREA. HIS FORCES HAVE BEEN COMBATTING THE DOWUNDIAN ARMY FOR WEEKS NOW, AND THE MAIN CITY OF PRISCILLA HAS BEEN BADLY DAMAGED FROM ATTACKS. I ONLY VISITED IT ONCE, DURING A BATTLE IN THE GREAT WAR. HOWEVER, I ONLY SERVED AS PILOT THAT TIME, AS I WAS TAKING A TEMPORARY LEAVE FROM MY SOLDIER DUTIES BACK ON THE FRONT LINE, YOU SEE. IT WAS PRETTY BRUTAL, LET ME TELL YOU."

"Sounds quite desolate."

"IT DOES A BIT. BUT ONCE WE GET THERE, IT'LL BE IMPRESSIVE, TRUST ME." Confirmed Beta.

 **Soon, near the dock of Priscilla….**

"GET READY TO DOCK MANIC. THE CITY DOESN'T SEEM TO BE UNDER ATTACK CURRENTLY." Observed the mechanical Hedgehog.

"Roger that Mecha!"

Manic docked the Water Bike firmly next to a very old battleship, which he guessed hadn't been used since the Great War.

Helping Metallix off the vehicle, they both took a look around the dock, which was mostly filled with crates and rusty old cranes. Did nobody ever leave Downunda aside from Robotnik's troops?

"YOU HAD A POINT MANIC. IT DOES SEEM RATHER DESOLATELY QUIET AROUND HERE. MAYBE THERE'S-" Began Beta.

"HALT! HANDS UP OR WE FIRE!" Shouted a voice from behind.

The robot spun around to see several Downundian Guards pointing guns at them, as he and Manic put their hands up.

"Take them for interrogation! These intruders could be spies of Robotnik." Ordered the Leader of the Guards.

As Manic was walking in front of a guard, he observed his surroundings, exploring the design of Priscilla, which unlike Robotropolis, used more Overlander styled buildings built of bricks and small bits of metal holding the heaviest parts together.

As for the Downundian Parliament, it was quite magnificent; stretching to a height that was half the size of Robotropolis' Command Centre. With decorations such as statues of Mobian Miners representing the industrial power of the country, shining jewels around the pillars holding up an almost Ancient Civilization era looking roof, a checkerboard floor with a large variety of colours and a ginormous wall of old Mobian symbols below the main reception, where members of the Downundian Government would check in.

Interestingly, the Parliament was built right next to a Prison, so the guards didn't have to take their two new prisoners too far.

Once they were finally in the prison, they were immediately thrown into a cell, with one warning; "The Green Hedgehog will be taken for interview shortly. The robot shall wait for a robotics expert to arrive for examination of its programming."

Locking the cell door, the guards walked off to return to their duties at the Dock, leaving the two Freedom Fighters locked up for the time being.

"How're we going to convince them Mecha? I doubt they'd ever believe someone like you would be part of the Resistance. It's not common ya know." Asked Manic.

"JUST MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS TRUTHFULLY IN YOUR INTERROGATION. Suggested Metallix. I JUST HOPE I CAN GET THIS SO CALLED ROBOTICS EXPERT TO UNDERSTAND I'M NOT WORKING FOR ROBOTNIK."

 **In a room of the Downundian Parliament…..**

Several Mobians were packed into an enormous court room, all discussing about the latest issues in the country; mainly Robotnik's attacks.

"I say, Robotnik's attacks are getting more violent day by day! At this rate we cannot afford to repair the damage he has caused to our cities!" Informed an MP, clearly trying to make a valid point on the situation.

"I agree!" Spoke out another MP. "We have to act against him! The Downundian Resistance cannot hold him off forever! And this Government knows that!"

The President of Downunda interrupted; "That may be true, BUT WE WILL NOT USE AN ARMY. That is the last thing I intend to allow to happen!"

"Then this country will fall to the hands of the Robotnik Empire! Taking no action will be the end of us!" Blurted out an opposing MP.

"And that is why we're here. To decide which action to take!" Snapped the President, very furious at the suggestions made by MPs criticising his motives. "If we launch an army against Robotnik, it would be an act of war! DO WE NOT REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED? Alliances between several countries in Mobius fighting each other lead to the outbreak of the Great War! And we will not deny that terrorists from our OWN COUNTRY triggered those events! I do not intend to lead us into a second Great War, as we are very near to such an event, should we propose to take military action! DO WE NOT UNDERSTAND THIS?"

"There is no alternative! It's either War or Downunda's destruction!" Called out yet another MP.

However, some MPs were on the President's side.

"Better Downunda is conquered by Robotnik than it causing a war that could destroy Mobius forever!"

"We must continue to rely on the Downundian Resistance! Send some of our former Soldiers to join them!" Suggested an MP sitting closer to the President.

The President shook his head.

"Sadly that will not be enough. The point still stands that the Resistance is simply not powerful enough to take on a full-fledged Empire. If only the Roboland Resistance could help in Downunda's affairs, then we may not be in such an unfortunate position as we are today…."

These pretty were the problems that the Downundian Government had to deal with ever since Robotnik had begun launching violent attacks with his Badniks and Troopers. Now that the Prison Camp was rounding up captured members of Downundians who rebelled against Robotnik's attempts at gaining control, it would seem almost impossible that the evil Dictator could be defeated…

 **Later, in an interrogation room….**

"What is your name?." Spoke the interrogator nonchalantly.

"Manic Hedgehog….." Muttered the Green Hedgehog, who was tired.

The interrogator move onto the next question.

"When did you begin working for Robotnik?!"

"I don't work for anybody!"

"LIAR! Why were you sent here?!"

"To rescue my comrades….Tails and Cyrus…."

"You're lying. There are no prisoners in this jail under those names. Why did you come?!"

"I've already explained!" Growled Manic, tired of the interrogator not believing him.

"What was your mission!?"

"To rescue my friends!" Insisted Manic.

"if you don't co-operate you'll be classed as a spy." Threatened the Interrogator seriously. "i do not have much more patience to deal with you."

"And if you keep me here I won't have the time to save my friends from being roboticised!"

The Interrogator merely ignored this, not convinced by Manic's claims.

"There's no point in asking me the same question Dude. I've already told you twice, I'm trying to rescue my friends in the Prison Camp!"

"Then you won't mind us handing you over to Robotnik." Replied the Interrogator, somewhat sarcastically.

Manic groaned in frustration. Why would a Downundian be so stupid to not believe that Robotnik would NEVER hire a Mobian Hedgehog to be his spy?! After all, Robotnik despises Hedgehogs….

 **Meanwhile, inside a lab…**

While Manic was busy trying to convince the interrogator he was innocent, Beta was talking to one of the top scientists in Downunda; Professor Danikun.

"LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW PROFESSOR." Boomed Metallix Beta at the Robotics Expert. "THERE'S NO POINT IN TRYING TO HACK INTO MY PROGRAMMING. I'M NOT UNDER ROBOTNIK'S CONTROL WHATSOEVER, AND YOU'RE WASTING BOTH YOURS, MY COMRADE AND I'S TIME. WE MUST RESCUE OUR FRIENDS!"

"If you're a Freedom Fighter, then why do you have a Robotnik Empire symbol close to your shoulder? If you were being interrogated like your Green Hedgehog friend, you wouldn't be very convincing with this explanation."

"HASN'T ANYONE TAUGHT PEOPLE NOT TO JUDGE SOMEONE BY THEIR EXTERIOR APPEARANCE? BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I DO WORK FOR THE MOBIUS RESISTANCE! THIS SYMBOL IS JUST A RELIC OF THE PAST!" Retorted Beta, rather disappointed.

"What you say is impossible. No machine created by the Robotnik Empire would work for the Resistance!" Protested the Professor.

"THEN PERHAPS IT'S TIME YOU STARTED BELIEVING THE IMPOSSIBLE, PROFESSOR." Stated the mechanical Hedgehog.

Metallix's digital eyes were caught by the sight of a silver metallic pod, with no identification of any kind; no symbol, no writing, no glass to show if anything was inside, nothing!

"WHAT'S THAT?" Asked Beta, now curious about the pod.

"This? I thought you might know. But strangely, I get the feeling you've never seen anything like it before." Replied the Professor, somewhat confused at Beta's question.

"I'VE NEVER SEEN A POD OF ANY KIND WITH NO IDENTIFICATION FEATURES. IT'S QUITE STRANGE."

"Indeed it is. We found several of these around the city, all in random places. They only weigh a couple of tonnes, and we can't even seem to open them! They're a complete mystery to us. So we've simply kept them locked up in a vault in the Parliament until we've figured out exactly what they are. Perhaps a machine of your intelligence could help? If you want my belief that you're on our side, I'd like you to help me solve this mystery." Suggested the Professor.

"IF THAT IS MY ONLY WAY TO CONVINCE YOU, THEN ALRIGHT. I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO. NOW THEN, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THESE PODS..."

 **Back in the prison…..**

Manic's interrogation hadn't got very well unfortunately.

Now he was chained up to a wall, with the interrogator now discussing what to do with him with a Downundian MP who had taken the time to come and investigate the prison.

"He says he's a Freedom Fighter from Roboland?" Asked the MP, curious about Manic.

"Yes, but how can he be? He was accompanied by some sort of advanced Robian type robot! He must be a spy!" Insisted the Interrogator, who was a bit biased.

The MP ignored him. "What's his name?"

"Manic Hedgehog, apparently."

The MP's eyes rose. "Manic Hedgehog, did you say?"

"Yes, why?" Grunted the interrogator.

"Because if he's from Roboland…." Pondered the MP. "Then he must be Prince Manic of Moboland! A member of the famous Sonic Underground!"

"The Sonic Underground, sir? I thought they were just a myth! A tale made up by members of the Mobius Resistance and our Resistance!" Replied the confused Interrogator.

"Well if you see for yourself, they're very much real!" Clarified the MP, gesturing towards Manic, who made a faint grin.

"He's telling the truth! I mean it!" Said Manic with a sigh of relief that someone was on his side.

"Let me talk to him. I doubt a member of the Sonic Underground would ever join Robotnik!" Suggested the MP.

"Oh very well sir." Muttered the Interrogator, who then released Manic from his chains.

Once the Interrogator had left the room, the MP asked Manic; "Shall we walk outside?"

Leaving the Prison, they took a nice stroll through the beautiful city, towards an area that looked out towards a large canyon in the distance.

"I don't think I've introduced myself. My name is Zachary Theodore. I'm a member of the Downundian Government." Said the MP.

"Nice to meet you Zachary." Answered Manic, shaking hands with the MP.

Zachary was a Mobian Koala, who appeared to be in his late 30s. His fur was a soft white and dark grey, and his claws were quite sharp, meaning Manic had to be careful when holding hands with him.

"Listen carefully, I'm going to show you something top secret that only certain members of the Downundian Government are allowed to know. I'm going to take you to the Headquarters of the Downundian Resistance!" Whispered Zachary into Manic's right ear.

"Cool. Maybe it's about time I found out more about what goes on here. You folks have had trouble with Robotnik quite a lot eh?"

Zachary nodded.

"Indeed we have. We fear our Resistance is not powerful enough to take on Robotnik forever, so it's about time that a member of the Mobius Resistance comes to Downunda! Perhaps you can arrange a deal with them to allow members of your Resistance to help with affairs in Downunda?" Asked Zachary.

"I err.." Stuttered Manic, not really an expert in situations such as this. He'd have done better with Metallix at his side when things like this happened. "Yea sure. I'll um… See what I can do!"

Trying to assure Zachary that he'd be glad to help the Downundian Resistance, the pair stopped at a point in the canyon near a small group of rocks that you'd easily dismiss.

"Watch this." Instructed the MP.

From his pocket, he pulled out an extendable cane, which after pulling to its full length, used it to tap a specific rhythm onto the ground.

TAP TAP TAP TAP TIP TAP TIP TIP TAP TAP.

"Stand back." Continued Zachary.

Then without warning, the ground began to shake violently; stones bouncing all over.

During all this, Manic noticed part of the ground separating, revealing a gap that appeared to be some sort of secret entrance!

Eventually, 10 seconds later, the two Mobians could see before them a long, towering pit that seemed to lead down below, with only a metal ladder stretching throughout it being able to let anyone head down.

"Awesome!" Exclaimed the Green Hedgehog.

"Marvellous, isn't it?" Said the Koala proudly. "I'm sure you have a classy secret entrance of sorts in Roboland eh?"

"Yeah, but erm, a bit more high-tech based than this one I'd say." Replied Manic, only giving a few details.

Zachary sorted out and slipped his cane back into the pocket of his waistcoat and manoeuvred towards the ladder.

"Well come on! Let me introduce you!" Called the MP as he climbed down the rather scarily looking high ladder.

A small bit nervous, Manic followed suite.

The pit was very dark and cold, with no heating whatsoever, possibly to avoid detection from any of Robotnik's robots, should they manage to reach the canyon.

Surprisingly though, the pit was only around 190m deep, so it would only take 10 minutes to go down.

Manic shivered from the coldness, and looked up to see the daylight fading from sight as he climbed further down, with the entrance appearing to automatically seal itself.

SLAM.

The entrance had completed closed, and it was pitch-black.

Manic wasn't too pleased about this, feeling somewhat scared to even move from his current position; he hadn't ever had to enter any Freedom Fighter base like this before.

"Don't be afraid Manic! I've got a Torch here, I'll shine it up so you can see better." Echoed the voice of Zachary, who thankfully was only a few meters away.

The Torch flashed into life, giving Manic enough vision to see the outlines of the almost shiny bars of the ladder.

"Do the Downundian Resistance have to do this everyday?!" Asked Manic, managing to be braver and move downwards more.

"Yes, it's actually one of the training courses they inherited from the Downundian Faction of the British Mobian Army!" Answered Zachary.

Manic took a quick glance at the bottom of the pit; he could barely see the floor!

"Why can't they just use a lift like we do? Surely they want to avoid falling down and killing themselves?!" Cried Manic, rather alienated at the idea that Downundians would have to climb down this each time they entered the base.

"A lift?! Hah! You Robolandian Freedom Fighters don't go adventuring in their own base? Prefer to take the safe and easy route?!" Laughed Zachary.

"Hmph! You're lucky, you don't have to handle almost the entire survivors of a coup including some Refugees!" Snapped the outlawed Prince.

"Fair point. You do operate in a country ruled by a Dictator constantly after you." Spoke Zachary, who appeared to have reached the bottom of the pit.

Manic sighed with relief; he was almost down!

There was thankfully a single light above an iron door, with a keypad that Zachary was just entering a passcode for.

As Manic hopped off the ladder and watched as the door opened, he wondered what Metallix was doing at this moment.

"I should be him doing this, not me. What could have possibly happened to him?" Pondered the Green Hedgehog.

He looked up to ask about Metallix but the MP had already gone through the door.

Manic, feeling the base was somewhat eerier than the Mobian Resistance HQ back in Robotropolis, moved through a half-cylinder shaped corridor with a few lights illuminating some power generators wired to the walls.

There was no door at the end of the corridor, except for an ancient looking archway, leading into a magnificent underground dome, stretching to over 80m high. It was quite a fascinating sight, just like the Robotropolis RHQ.

"Welcome Prince Manic!" Introduced Zachary. "To the hideout of the Downundian Resistance!"

Manic stared in awe, looking around; the light was much brighter and the base seemed to have better lighting than RHQ!

Instead of a main computer in the middle of the room, there were rings of several platforms on different floors, each with segments of one large computer stretching across parts of the wall with wires, monitors, keyboards, speakers etc.

Similarly to RHQ though, there was actually personal rooms built for some Freedom Fighters, though not as much, considering the fact that some of the Freedom Fighters were also citizens, who were forced to defend their cities from attacks if they were caught in the middle of one.

Obviously, the Downundian Resistance were in a tight spot when it came to battling Robotnik, and Manic could definitely understand why they so desperately needed help.

But how was he to fully assure the Downundians that the Mobius Resistance would offer to help? He wasn't exactly the best ambassador to speak on their behalf...

 **Back in the Lab of Professor Danikun, in Priscilla…..**

"FROM CLOSE OBSERVATION PROFESSOR, I CAN GIVE MY HYPOTHESIS THAT THESE PODS ARE DESIGNED TO OPEN REMOTELY FROM INSIDE COMMANDS. WHATEVER'S INSIDE THE POD IS THE ONLY THING ABLE TO OPEN IT. HOW VERY ODD."

Metallix and Professor Danikun had made decent progress, discovering that the pods were indeed from Robotnik's Prison Camp, having secretly been shipped there during the middle of night according to footage that Metallix had found while using a secret camera system. Also, they had some sort of logo hidden underneath clever foils of fake metal, showing a picture of the Robotnik Empire icon.

The Pods also seemed to be made of a near-indestructible metal, giving them the idea that whatever was inside it was supposed to be very important to whatever they were planned to be used for by Robotnik.

Before the Professor could reply however, the lab door opened, revealing a Downundian MP.

"Professor Danikun. Your presence is required outside; we need you to unlock something for us." Spoke the MP.

Danikun frowned. "Is it of any more importance than my current work? I'm already looking into these pods."

The Downundian sniffed. "That's precisely why we need you. We have found a completely different pod that appears to be more active than the others. And only you would know what to do with it. You can bring this…..Robot with you, but be cautious."

"Oh very well." Sighed the Professor, who motioned towards Beta.

"ANOTHER POD EH? WELL I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT THIS 'DIFFERENT' ONE IS LIKE. HM…"

After leaving the lab, they stopped at the main square of the city, where Policemen were moving a large crowd of citizens away from the crash site of a Black Pod, with a bright red Robotnik Empire logo on it. Not only that, but it was glowing from the inside!

"What on Mobius is that?!" Cried the Professor, pointing to a strange figure inside the pod, illuminated by the glowing.

The Pod began shaking violently, with the mysterious figure beginning to move.

"PROFESSOR, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD HAVE LEFT THAT POD BACK IN YOUR LAB." Groaned Beta electronically.

The Crowd stood back in confusion, as the Pod kept shaking; causing bits of debris that had been covering it slightly to fall completely off. Whatever was inside was waking up!

 **At the same time, in the Downundian Resistance Headquarters…**

Manic had been rather occupied talking to the main leaders of the DR, who were also the founders.

Walt Wallaby was obviously the main head of the whole Freedom Fighter movement in Downunda, seeing as he was the guy who gave most of the commands to people. And for a Mobian Wallaby, he was very fit.

Barby Koala was the second in command, and was actually a cousin of Zachary. She had pretty sharp claws and there was tales of her being pretty vicious when fighting Badnik Troopers; she'd literally shred them to pieces!

Wombat Stu on the other hand, was small but had excellent hearing abilities. Aside from that, he had medium combat experience.

Guru Emu was the most laid back of the leaders, being a pacifist, but fighting whenever it was absolutely necessary. He also had become the Head Strategist.

For the former Prince of Mobius, he'd found it a very tricky task to tell the leaders what the Mobius Resistance could do for the Downundians.

"Look, you really shouldn't be talking to me about this. You need to find my friend, he's a robot hedgehog. He knows more about this kind of thing than I do." He Insisted to Walt.

Walt turned to Zachary, who was standing in a corner, watching the whole conversation.

"Mister Theodore, have you heard anything about this? It seems highly suspicious to me that a robot hedgehog would join a bunch of rebels like any of the Resistances."

Zachary pondered for a moment.

"Actually, I have. There's been a notice that Manic was found with a robot hedgehog when they arrived at the main dock. Apparently it was handed over to Professor Danikun."

"Very interesting." Spoke out Guru Emu. "But what can we do about our plight? We can't just take a while searching for a robot who may or may not be on our side. I'm afraid we need to make a decision NOW."

Suddenly, a Freedom Fighter working at a computer rushed over to Walt, panicking; "SIR! SIR!"

Walt frowned and spoke to the FF. "What is it? We're busy here."

"Sir! We have reports of those pods in Priscilla moving! Something's inside them!"

"What did you say?!" Gasped Walt, standing up immediately.

Then he ordered the other leaders a large group of Freedom Fighters; YOU! WITH ME! WE'RE GOING TO PRISCILLA RIGHT NOW! WE'VE GOT SOME DEFENDING TO DO! Manic! Zachary! You'll have to come with me!"

"Oh my! We're certainly in trouble!" Muttered Zachary, running after the group that was heading for the mission exit.

Manic, not exactly knowing what was going wrong, also followed.

Jumping into some sort of vehicle that could travel tunnels as well as on land, he asked Zachary; "What's going on? What Pods?"

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

The vehicle blasted off at a high speed, travelling through the tunnel towards an exit to the surface.

"There have been some strange Pods popping up all over the city. And it seems Robotnik's unleashing them for an ambush, as some reports have just said there's something inside them!" Explained Zachary.

"Great! How am I going to rescue Tails and Cyrus when there's an unexpected attack going on! If only Metallix were here…." Grumbled the Green Hedgehog.

 **A few minutes later…**

"This way! Priscilla's main square is this way!" Called Walt, running beside Barby and Guru.

The group had finally managed to reach the city, and now the crowd where the Professor and Metallix were with was in plain sight.

"Hey, that's my friend! MECHA!" Waved Manic.

Metallix span round, and with an electronic sigh of relief, replied; "MANIC! THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE! LOOK!"

The group of Downundian Freedom Fighters paused, staring at the shaking pod.

Just in case of an ambush from whatever was inside; they were armed with limited energy-based but somewhat effective laser blasters.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK CRACK CRACK!

The Pod was now breaking apart, cracks appearing all over; the figure inside tearing its way to freedom of space. Like a creature emerging from its Tomb!

All over the city, the same thing was happening to every Pod at the exact same moment.

CRACK! SMASH! BANG!

A silver metallic hand burst through the sharp metal casing of the Pod, with its other pair doing the same.

BANG. CRACK! SMASH!

Then a robotic head squirmed straight through; the hands helping it and the arms reach out.

Inside the computer brain of each robot, several coding results were displayed;

POWER AT 100%.

CHARGING UP BACKUP POWER CELLS….

VISION POWERING UP.

STRENGTH AT 49%, USING BACKUP POWER CELLS TO INCREASE STRENGTH…

VISION AT 10%.

CORE RUNNING AT PERFECT SPEED. NO FAULTS DETECTED.

VISION AT 20%.

CALCULATING COORDINATES….

VISION AT 45%.

COORDINATES CALCULATED, UPLOADING….

UPLOAD COMPLETE.

VISION AT 56%.

USING COORDINATES TO CONFIRM LOCATION….

LOCATION CONFIRMED –

COUNTRY: DOWNUNDA

CITY: PRISCILLA

AREA: MAIN SQUARE

VISION AT 78%.

MEMORISING PROGRAMMED MISSION…..

VISION AT 95%.

MISSION RECOGNISED: DESTROY PRISCILLA!

VISION AT 100%!

COMPLETING EMERGENCE FROM POD…

BANG!

In every single area where one of the Pods was, minor explosions were heard as the savage machines completely smashed out of the pods, like they were chopping down walls of sand.

Kneeling up, the machines did not react when nearby Downundians fled in terror.

"What are those things?!" Manic asked Metallix.

"I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SEE THESE THINGS HERE. SWAT DRONES!" Answered the Robot.

Swat Drones; the perfect mechanical combat machines created by Robotnik. They were far more powerful than Swat Bots or Troopers!

They had long blank binocular like eye stalks, meaning absolutely no glowing eyes, almost making them seem electrically animated. Despite an enormously bulky build, their arms and legs were almost humanoid, with only bits of mechanical chunks slapped onto a few parts of their body.

With their own laser blasters hung over their soldiers, they simultaneously pulled them off their backs…Then BANG-BANG-BANG!

Without warning, the Swat Drones all around the city began firing in all directions; shooting at both innocent citizens and Freedom Fighters!

"GET BACK!" Shouted Beta loudly, his electronic voice automatically amplifying as the volume increased.

The Crowd of Downundians fled in terror as the first victims of the attack dropped dead in front of their very eyes, with the Freedom Fighters backing behind bits of stone debris that had crashed as soon as the attack began.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Swat Drones had very powerful and quick aim; more precise than that of a Swat Bot of Trooper!

"Fire!" Commanded Walt, pulling out a laser rifle of his own.

KZZZZT! KZZZZT! KZZZZT!

Unlike the Laser Blasters of the Swat Drones, the Downundian Freedom Fighters' Laser Rifles fired long beams of hot, scorching lasers that extended out towards their targets very quickly, with the purpose of ripping through them.

Guru Emu lowered his head carefully; "Swat Drones?! What sort of monstrosity of a robot is that?!"

"HIGHLY TRAINED KILLING MACHINES WITH STRATEGIC EXCELLENCE. I'VE SEEN THEM BEFORE, BUT A LONG TIME AGO." Explained Beta, ducking for cover as the Drones shot in their direction.

BANG!

"Killing machines, you say? They certainly look like some! But do they seem so familiar?!" Asked Barby, holding her Laser Rifle firmly.

KZZZZZT! KZZZZT! KZZZT! KZZT!

"THEY SHOULD DO. THEY'RE MODIFIED VERSIONS OF THE SOLDIER BOTS USED BY ROBOTNIK IN THE GREAT WAR. EXCEPT NOW THEY'RE NOT OUR SIDE!"

BANG! BANG! BOOM!

Bits of debris blasted straight off surrounding buildings as the Swat Drones expanded their attack, attempting to destroy landmarks of the city as well as tackling Freedom Fighters attempting to shoot them.

"Hurry! This way everyone! MOVE IT, MOVE IT!" Shouted Barby Koala, climbing up a tall building.

Without question, the loyal Downundian Freedom Fighters rushed to the side of the building and with a surprising amount of strength and courage, were able to get up without too much strain on their muscles.

"Woah. Those guys have guts!" Exclaimed Manic.

"THAT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT A SOLDIER LIKE ME WAS TRAINED TO DO! UP WE GO!" Replied Beta, also starting to scale the building.

Manic gulped. He'd already been nauseous when climbing down the long ladder in the dark pit of the base, so this wasn't exactly what he'd hoped to be doing at this moment.

"Come on lad!"

Zachary, who was standing beside him, unexpectedly grabbed hold of the young Hedgehog's arm and dragged him up the building.

"Lucky these Freedom Fighters taught me a few skills!" Commented the MP, rather proud of himself.

A couple of Swat Drones had in fact noticed the FFs getting away, so they too attempted to climb up.

The roof of the building luckily had a flat spot, so the Mobians could safely stand on it without sliding down some curved tiles and therefore fall back on the ground.

"ELIMINATE THEM! BY THE ORDER OF THE GREAT ROBOTNIK, DESTROY THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS!" Commanded a Swat Drone leader, pointing straight at the Mobians on the roof.

"It's too risky trying to fight them off in the city! We've got to head to the airbase!" Commanded Walt Wallaby, determined to not give up and come with a perfect strategy to defeat these new foes.

"Airbase?!" Called out Manic. "You mean you're still keeping military planes?"

"WELL OF COURSE THEY DO. THEY PROBABLY KEEP THEM IN CASE OF TROUBLE SUCH AS THIS!" Suggested Beta, interrupted before Guru Emu could reply.

"Well quite! Now if you would be so kind as to focus your mind on getting out of here and we might be able to commandeer a suitable aircraft to combat these Swat Drones!" Snapped Walt, more interesting in carrying out the escape.

Giving all the energy they had, the Resistance Fighters trekked across the rooftops of Priscilla, the hot smoke from the flames of the burning debris below shadowing them to mere silhouettes in the mist of battle.

They scaled Skyscrapers that stretched very high into the sky, before they leapt onto the next one, like the world's most extreme obstacle course set in the treetops of an enormous jungle.

Their enemy took no delay in the hunt for victory against Freedom Fighters; the programming shoved into those tiny circuits begging them not to fail, for their master depended on the success of the plan. Nobody must be allowed to interfere. Those who do must be executed under orders of Doctor Ivo Robotnik, Dictator of Roboland.

And as exhausted as Manic would get, there would always be either be Zachary or Metallix grabbing him by the arm and plumbing more morale into the former Prince's very soul; they would not give up.

Because of the determination these Mobians of ages that was at least 13 to surprisingly late 40s, they finally got out of the city, and rushed in the direction of the Priscillian Airbase, which was not too close to the city, but was more open and 'battle friendly' as the Downundians had claimed.

"Don't give up yet boys! Airbase ETA is at least two minutes!" Barby Koala was informing members of her team, making sure they were 100% ready for action!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Laser bolts exploded into almost microscopic spikes of electricity, catching the attention of the running Mobians. Swat Drones were on their tails!

"BUTTNIKS INCOMING! SORT EM OUT!" Boomed Beta, raising the volume of his internal speakers.

All of a sudden, Professor Danikun, who had been among those escaping the city lost his breath and breathed heavily while trying to keep up with Beta. "I can't run much lon-!"

BANG BANG!

"URK!"

"PROFESSOR!"

But the aged Mobian had already dropped dead. Another fatal victim of the Swat Drones.

Despite these struggles, they'd finally reached the Airbase, with most of the Freedom Fighters turning 180 degrees backwards to face the Drones.

"OPEN FIRE!" Ordered Walt Wallaby, showing his brave leadership as usual.

KZZZZT! KZZZT! KZZZZT!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

KZZZT! KZZZZZZT! KZZZT!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Unfortunately, laser gun were not the most efficient piece of weaponry as they never tended to have the impact and power of rifles and machine guns, which had won many battles in the Great War, alongside explosive shells and bombs of course.

The Swat Drones had noticed this, so they immediately had switched to machine guns, and continuing their offensive.

One thing for sure was that the Downundian Freedom Fighters simply weren't strong enough to defeat this many Swat Drones. There was at least 100 FFs, but more than twice as much Drones with the better fighting equipment.

And that was another problem on Manic and Beta's hand. They needed to rescue their friends, but couldn't risk leaving the Downundians to face the Swat Drones by themselves, so what could they possibly do?

 **Meanwhile, in a Prison Camp, somewhere further away from the Airbase….**

Conditions were not the most comfortable when you were captured by Robotnik's cronies. The common thing to happen on your first day of imprisonment is to serve lots of disgusting oil to the Robian Elite Guards that ran the place alongside Trooper Badniks. After that, you'd be forced in labour work, meaning you'd have to spend hours building Badnik casings or repair damaged machines used by the Robotnik Empire.

It was certainly no surprise that for the last few hours, new prisoners Miles 'Tails' Prower, Cyrus and Amy Rose had been doing precisely that. But at last they had gained the chance to rest until the next morning, when the next shift began. There were thankfully no Roboticisers in sight, as the technology for a Portable Model had not yet been perfected.

Unfortunately that didn't mean Captain Sleet hadn't come up with an alternative, as he had some time ago taunted the poor Mobians; "If we can't roboticise you now, we'll just take the easier route and convert you into Badniks!"

And now the three were preparing their very own Badnik casings for an extra shift! Moulding the exact metal shape for the bits and bots that connected to the high voltage electrical components, such as the tiny but efficient computer brain.

"I can't stand this! I can't! Can't! AHH!" Murmured Cyrus cowardly, as if he was being tortured or something.

Tails groaned once again at Cyrus' attitude; he had become more and more nervous and easily frightened, being used to remain behind the scenes when working as a Gadget Supplier for the Resistance.

"Oh will you shut up Cyrus! We're not Badniks yet!" The two-tailed Fox cub sighed, staring at the nasty looking head piece of a Buzz Bomber he was moulding.

"Oh I'm sorry, but when you're making something akin to your own grave you can't help being frightened!" Gulped the Lion.

"You're getting on my nerves now buddy! No wonder Sonic has trouble coping with y-" Snapped Tails.

Amy Rose, not even bothering to touch her Badnik shell moulds interrupted; "ENOUGH! You two can't stop bickering, can you? Both of you are a pain to listen to sometimes. While you both were working on those rotten Badnik parts, I was actually using my head to work out a way to get us out of here!"

Cyrus wasn't convinced at all.

"Excuse me, but how on Mobius can we escape from a Prison Camp where we'll be spotted by robots that don't switch off?!" The lion spurted out, not seeing any logic in Amy's optimism.

"Listen will you?!" She pointed to the top of an under-construction radio tower, scaffolding reaching up quite high. "That's our way out! We just need to get up there and use our intelligence to get us far away from this place."

"What d'you mean Amy? If we even try to get up there and radio for help we'll be caught by the Radio operators at the top, who'll probably be Swat Drones!" Asked Tails, feeling curious about Amy's idea.

"We're not going to use the Radio silly! I've been studying Badnik designs ever since I was a slave for Robotnik's goons in my Village, so I know how some of the mechanics of their electronic motors work; the rockets on a Buzz Bomber like Cyrus' can work on their own without an organic battery inside for at least 5 minutes. Tails, if you can wire two of them to work for me and Cyrus, we can hover our way through the air and land at the nearest location not controlled by Robotnik! You don't need one, because you can fly on your own." Explained Amy, with a surprisingly amount of courage and spirit. She wouldn't give up here!

Cyrus and Tails both glanced at Amy in awe; "That's genius Amy! A plan worthy of Sonic's!" Cried Tails, excited.

"Oh you think so? Hmph." Spat Cyrus, who never found Sonic to come up with such a plan so well.

"Perfect! We'll be out of here in no time!….." Grinned Amy.

 **Sometime later….**

The final shift intended for those unfortunate Freedom Fighters currently working at the camp had begun. Soon a new army of Badniks would rise and be delivered to Robotropolis to take their part in Robotnik's soon to start **_Operation: Miracle_** , which had already received the necessary Crystals from Fludron Mines for the essential technology.

Captain Sleet was grinning to himself at the thought of getting a reward from Robotnik for all his hard work. Finally that oath Dingo wouldn't muck up the important stages in achieving the glorious victory he was hunting for by failing in his attempts to aid him.

All of this had started with him and his partner in crime being mere Mercenaries, but now he was Captain of the SBS (Special Badnik Service), which included the Soldiers of Trooper Badniks and regular Badniks. Could this possibly get any better?

But the Captain shook his head, he had to turn his attention back to the current situation.

What the devil was going on?!

A ginormous breakout had sprouted out from seemingly nowhere; three recently captured Freedom Fighters had begun climbing the scaffolding of the incomplete Radio Tower, and even when Troopers were sent up to re-capture them, many other Freedom Fighters stopped their work shifts to go and distract the Troopers as the three young Mobians climbed up to escape! Urgh, how these sorts of things annoyed him!

RATATATATATAT!

Trooper after Trooper gutted out their machine guns, chomping at maximum range towards their targets; Miles Prower, Cyrus and Amy Rose.

"SAVE YOURSELVES LADS AND LASSIE! GO KICK SOME BUTTNIK BUTT!" Echoed the now distant voice of a captured Freedom Fighter below, yelling up to the three as the trekked up and up the Tower.

"WOAH!" Cried Tails, narrowly dodging bullets flying at his twin tails.

"Hang on boys! We'll make it! Don't count on those horrid machines catching up with us!" Jeered Amy with courage.

Cyrus was less optimistic, constantly flinching in terror as the Troopers scaled the Tower behind them; "I-I-I can't take any more of this! They're too close!"

"Oh shush and hurry up Cyrus! We're not leaving you behind!" Returned Amy.

Suddenly, as a bullet nearly ricocheted from his face, Tails lost his grip on a bar of the scaffolding and gasped as gravity took its supposedly fatal grasp on poor him!

"Tails!" Gasped Cyrus, fortunately grabbing the fox by his arm before he fell too far down.

"Phew! I guess I owe you one Cyrus…." Breathed Tails, for once complimenting his comrade.

RATATATATATATAT!

Bullet after Bullet soared like instant killing spikes, with the Troopers not even pausing for a moment to aim at the escaping Mobian prisoners; no Freedom Fighter was to leave the Prison Camp alive!

Despite how difficult it had been to make sure the Buzz Bomber rocket jetpacks set up by Tails were not hit, the three lucky Mobians had reached the top of the radio tower. A magnificent view was not to distract them however, for their enemy was approaching rapidly. No time was to be wasted at this crucial moment of their escape!

"Tails, you must go first! We'll catch up with you once you've glided far enough." Called Amy, trying to power on the rocket boosters of her Badnik Jetpack.

The fox hesitated; surely it was wiser to take off at the same time?

"But-" He began.

"GO!" Yelled Amy.

Not wanting to waste his precious time arguing with Amy, Miles 'Tails' Prower leaped off the edge of the radio tower, and with a split second was already hovering forwards with his twin tails spinning like a Tornado.

Because it was so misty and cloudy in this part of Downunda, the poor fox could barely see where he was going!

Second after Second, Tails worried that his friends hadn't managed to catch up; he couldn't see them behind or above him whatsoever….

Though that didn't necessarily mean nothing could be flying near him.

RATATATATATATATATAT!

Trooper Hover Vehicles! The same type normally seen patrolling Robotropolis with Swat Bots piloting it, were approaching at a high velocity.

Could Tails gain an upper hand?

RATATATATATAT!

"Gosh, these bozos are pretty brutal!" He mumbled to himself, swerving in mid-air to avoid the incoming fire.

Good thing he remembered his Freedom Fighter training, as he had been told by Sonic once; "If you're ever finding yourself facing some of Buttnik's dumb-bots way high up in the sky, do yourself a Mondo favour and outsmart em' with some clever manoeuvring trick!"

So Tails put his mind to the test.

Altering his direction in mid-air, he zoomed down, entering freefall slightly.

Following suite, the Hover Vehicles closed in, still firing as much as possible.

However, doing this would cause the Trooper pilots inside to get confused when passing through clouds.

Once Tails passed through multiple clouds, the Trooper pilot of the second Hover Vehicle slammed the controls as the heat sensor blacked out.

"HEAT SENSORS UNABLE TO DETECT MOBIAN LIFEFORM. ERROR IN SYSTEM." Droned the Trooper, not even showing frustration in any shape or form.

But the machine did not even bother to calculate intelligently as its scanners spotted movement from a cloud in front; it fired in the direction of the movement without hesitation.

RATATATATA-

KABOOM! Debris from the first Hover Vehicle blew straight upwards, smashing into the glass window at the front of the second Hover Vehicle.

Realising it had accidentally shot the other Trooper's ship, the Second Trooper wasted no time in diving sideways out of its vehicle, to avoid being crushed.

Tails didn't notice this, but had heard the explosion. His quick thinking had taken care of his chasers, surely?

BANG! BANG!

The Fox Cub jumped out of his skin at the sudden noise of gunfire; the Trooper that had survived dived towards him and knocked his tails out of flight!

The mindless machine understood very well that it had no chance of survival, but its only 'concern' was to accomplish its mission by eliminating the escaped prisoners. Now it had one in its grasp.

But Tails wouldn't let the Trooper just win so easily; remembering his training again, he attempted to copy Sonic's special punch.

SLAM! KICK! SLAM! KICK!

Tails tried to gasp in pain as the much stronger Bot kicked him hard in the chest, but couldn't hear himself as he fell lower and lower…..

Instead of giving in, he stood up to the pain and kept dodging as many kicks as possible after swinging away in mid-air, grabbing onto the chest of the Robot.

Noticing the Fox had touched upon its weak spot, the Chest, it tried punching but missed every time Tails managed to use his own twin tails to swing himself away from the punch.

Using this final move to his advantage, he thought in his mind; "Take this creep!"

KRAZZAAK! The Sonic Punch blew and grazed the chest panel with immense force from the mid-air swinging, munching up the wires and gizmos within; the implosive impact was incredible!

Laughing to himself, Tails grinned as the Trooper's chest panel sizzled and flung the whole unit back due to the implosion, electronic scowls fading slowly from the mouthpiece.

Regaining his flight, the young but incredibly brave Fox Cub soared like the world's fastest helicopter across the skies, hoping his friends were alright.

Suddenly, the Fox's tall ears came into contact with a loud swooshing sound; a parachute flinging on someone's back!

Skydiving several meters above Tails materialised the outline of a familiar figure; Dingo! The former sidekick of Captain Sleet, who had somehow managed to be promoted while betraying his more stupid comrade to Robotnik's fury at their recent failure.

Despite the event being long overdue in the good Doctor's eyes, the bumbling oaf had received a pretty painful full Roboticisation to the rest of his body, as one legs of his was already mechanical.

Silently like a Pterodactyl dinosaur, the Robian Dingo glided in the direction of its prey, but with the viciousness of a Velociraptor.

"Damn it! Not you!" Cried Tails, remembering the day that his parents were captured, still haunted him in his nightmares. Sleet, Dingo and the truly heartless Dictator were present there.

Tails was in quite a hurry to get to somewhere safe, so he had no intention of letting Dingo set any of his gruesomely iron-sealed paws on him!

Even with his tail-copters, the Robian caught up with little to no trouble, being heavier and falling much quicker he lunged at the neck of the Fox, beginning to horribly choke the poor Cub…..

Breathing was now in the initiation of coming across as an impossibility, coughing emerging as a constant life support of sorts, the tiny neck deflating like a balloon running out of precious air…

Miraculous! Once more the impact created by the force of gravity emerges victorious; a much relief spreading sight of a Pink Hedgehog descended in a heavenly sort of way, Badnik Jetpack blazing all the way as the metallic foe was torn off its grip, not ready to begin its 'endless' journey to solid ground.

Then like the frames of a video footage being reversed, the surrounding oxygen magnetically dunked itself back into the mouth of the pained Fox Cub, who breathed heavily as he collapsed into the arms of a Lion whom zoomed below him in the nick of time!

"We can't leave you alone for very long without getting into trouble, can we Tails?" Smirked Amy, but with a warm presence. Her dress blew flippantly in the air, luckily not being burned by the flames pouring out of the exhausts of the Buzz Bomber rocket boosters.

"Gee, thanks guys! I'm glad to have you as comrades!" Breathed the Fox, grinning a little weakly.

Cyrus sighed; "As much as I sort of hate to admit, I think Sonic would be proud of you. He'd probably say you've made an excellent Freedom Fighter!"

 **A few minutes later, back at the Priscilla Airbase….**

"RETREAT! RETREAT!"

Walt Wallaby couldn't believe it! The Swat Drones had driven them back after at least 30 minutes of fighting!

But this really shouldn't have been much of a surprise, with the Downundian Freedom Fighters being severely outnumbered.

Metallix Beta, despite his clunky and aging mechanic structure, poured enough strong energy to keep him running as he had done on the Mobolandian Front Line many years ago.

Manic, as usual, was by his side. The former Prince knew very well it would be a terrible idea to surrender to Robotnik's Forces, and thought to himself; "All this time I've told myself I would do better with help from Mecha, so what am I waiting for?!"

Deciding the smartest thing to do was to seek advice from the robotic veteran's battle experience, he hastily asked; "Hey Mecha! Any ideas?"

The robot's computer brain wasted no time in calculating its way through the memory files, adding the sufficient ones to an equation that the command created by Manic's question needed.

"REINFORCEMENTS!" Sparked the electronically synthesised British accent booming from the speaker of Beta. "THAT'S WHAT I REMEMBER HOPING FOR….." The robot did not attempt to go into too much detail when such an answer related to a controversial and tragically bloody event.

"Right on the tick Mecha, cause here comes some!" Cried Manic, pointing up at the sky in delight.

Their comrades; Miles 'Tails' Prower, Cyrus Lion and Amy Rose hovered down, Badnik jetpacks on the latter two flickering slowly as the fuel ran out.

"Manic! Am I glad to see you!" Said Tails, landing with his tail-copters.

"Same! And Cyrus! Good to see you've made it out in piece." Grinned Manic.

"More or less…." Mumbled Cyrus.

"Who are you guys? You know em, Tails and Cyrus?" Asked Amy curiously, slightly surprised not to see Sonic anywhere.

"I'm Manic Hedgehog, you must be Amy Rose! My bro Sonic's been telling me all about the adventure in those mines with you." Replied Manic.

BANG! BANG!

The Mobians quickly dived for cover as the Swat Drones resumed their offensive.

"So you're Sonic's brother? Nice! I guess the myth of the Royal Mobolandians being Hedgehogs is true!" Returned Amy, dodging any sign of incoming fire.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Swat Drones were getting closer, and now their shots became more fatal, as a few Freedom Fighters dropped to ground lifeless, proving the brutalness of Robotnik's tactics.

"WE'LL NEED MORE REINFORCEMENTS THAN YOU GUYS I'M AFRAID!" Sighed Beta electronically, trying to think of a solution.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Amy, just noticing the robotic hedgehog, gasped and clenched her right fist and hurriedly threw it at the machine in a solid punch. She believed it was another one of Robotnik's Elite Robian Fighters.

KLANG!

"OOWF!" Cried Amy. Her fist buzzed with pain for a short while. This robot was made of a very strong metal!

"NICE TO MEET YOU TOO MISS ROSE." Quipped the mostly pre-occupied mechanical hedgehog in a somewhat sarcastic tone. "METALLIX BETA AT YOUR SERVICE."

Manic quickly addressed to Amy; "Don't worry! He's on our side. Mecha here doesn't work for ol' Buttnik. It's fine."

BANG BANG! BANG!

Cyrus whimpered a bit, and then moaned to Manic and the others.

"Can we p-p-pause the introductions now? I think we're still under attack!"

"You got that right!" Called out the voice of Walt Wallaby, rolling for cover towards the small brick wall the crew was crouching behind.

"I thought we'd able to use some of our aircraft to escape, but the Swat Drones have the whole place surrounded! Only an extremely talented thief would have the guts to get into the closest hangar." Continued Walt, looking more and more frustrated.

This particular comment, despite its rather non-casual intention of delivery, gave the Green Hedgehog with crazy spiked and curled rockstar hair a very sneaky idea. Only a grin and glance at his robotic comrade could convey such daring emotion of his little thought that had the potential to solve this major issue.

Metallix, if he were flesh and blood like those around him, would have been able to raise solid eyebrows in surprise. "WALT." He exclaimed, putting his left metallic hand on Manic's shoulder. "CONSIDER IT DONE. THIS OLD CHAP IS THE PERFECT CANDIDATE FOR THE JOB."

Walt returned a frown. He didn't know Manic had any expertise in stealing!

Manic stepped forwards out of range of bullets, having thought carefully from what both Beta and Walt had said.

"Look, Walt. You and your Resistance pals told me you wanted the help of our Roboland Freedom Fighters, and now I know how to get you a straight ticket towards em'!"

"What'd you mean? They're miles away!" Replied Walt.

"Not if we grab a plane!" Smirked the Hedgehog excitedly, looking in the direction of Tails. "Tails here knows how to fly planes from his old man's training. If I can get in there with him, we start the engine and get one out while you distract the Swat Drones for long enough! Once we're clear of the fighting, you can get on board and we'll fly straight to Roboland!"

Walt wasn't convinced this would work, however.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?! The Swat Drones would blow any plane up before you can even take off! Besides, the only plane in the airbase that can hold enough of us is in the closest hangar. It's near suicide trying to get there!"

"Come on Walt!" Insisted Manic, believing this was the only solution. "What else do you expect us to do?! Surrender to the Swat Drones?"

The Downundian sighed. He knew that it would be better to take a chance to help Downunda rather than allow the trigger for its fall. With a grunt of acknowledgement, he allowed the plan to carry through.

"Alright!" Grinned Manic crouching down next to Tails, both of their arms stretched out with fists clenched for the special fist bump.

" _Let's do it to it!_ " Exclaimed both of them, fist bumping.

Later, the distraction had been fully set up. Walt had ordered his crew to launch a surprise attack; one that could lead the Swat Drones away from the Hangar so that the plane inside could be safely driven out.

RATATATATATATATATAT! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! KZZZT! KZZT! RATATATATAT!

With the Swat Drones completely occupied by the Downundian Freedom Fighters, Tails and Manic crawled slowly but surely behind them, hoping that none would touch and spot them if they were reaching for a grenade.

But luck was on their side, and they reached the side of the Hangar.

Both Metallix and Cyrus, accompanied by Amy, watched from a distance as Manic was flown up by Tails to the roof.

"How's he going to get in? I mean, he doesn't seem to have some sorta magic guitar like Sonic has! I think it makes him cool….." Asked Amy, momentarily thinking dreamily.

"WATCH HIM, MISS ROSE. YOU'LL SEE." Beta returned, with a mechanical tone of approval.

Manic the Hedgehog was probably the most unique of the Sonic Underground; he didn't really have any special abilities like Sonic, nor did he have as much as courage and determination as Sonia. But one thing he did have was his most appropriate status; an **_honest thief_**.

At least that was so because his stealing is eventually found out sooner or later when Sonic or Sonia makes him admit.

Within an instant and a glance of bright light that was luckily not noticed by the Swat Drones, the most gorgeous Drum Kit emerged out of thin air, materialising into shape from a jelly like fog.

His trusty Drum Kit at his side, with the fantastical Power Medallion fully charged with energy, Manic the Hedgehog flipped out his new golden Drum Sticks from his belt, twirling them with one finger in each hand, before effortlessly spinning them straight into the palms and slamming on the drums a couple of times to a very catchy rhythm indeed!

KZZZZTTTTTTT!

BOM!

Sprouting from the fully silver Drums with a slight cough-like sound, buzzed a shining green laser, impacting the roof with fuming inferno power, sizzling and burning the rather weak part tin, part copper roof slightly to create one perfect hole for entry.

Beta chuckled electronically watching this; "CYRUS, YOU CAN TELL WALT THAT THE DOWNUNDIAN GOVERNMENT HAS A MOTH TO FIND. A GIANT HOLE MAKING MOTH." Joked the robot.

Once the two Mobians on the tall hangar leaped out of sight into the interior of the building, Walt noticed and quickly ordered his men; "FALL BACK! FALL BACK!"

While the Swat Drones anticipated that this was a form of retreat once again, Walt's actual intention was to use it in order to lure them further away from the Hangar. The tactic was a solid success!

Hoping that a suitable aircraft would exit the other side of the Hangar, the Robolandian Freedom Fighters waited patiently, but nothing happened for a few minutes, strangely.

"What's taking them so long?! I don't think we can hold them off forever! I've ordered them to scatter; it's the only way your friends will have a higher chance." Called out Wallaby, dashing over to them rather worriedly.

But as soon as Beta had formed a reply in his computer brain, a familiar beeping sound emerged from his built-in communicator. This signalled that Manic and Tails had succeeded; the Plane's engines were rip-roaring to go!

"THAT'S OUR CUE!" Said the robot. "LET'S GO! HURRY!"

Now it was finally time to leave Downunda and recruit some reinforcements from Roboland, for the Plight of Downunda was more than a mere peril on this day!

But not even The Great Metallix Beta could describe the sight of the aircraft the two Mobians burst out of the Hangar with…

"OH MY GOLLY WORD!" The machine marvelled.

But to be clear, it was a prodigious and weighty Heavy Bomber with very serpent-like concealment colours spread around most of its outer shell, a black metal undercoat resting underneath to create the perfect night time camouflage. It was clearly an aircraft ahead of its time, as the design was much more advanced than anything ever seen in the Great War, which Pilots and Military Leaders of that period could only dream of having in Battle.

The only one who seemed to take it for granted, but with a bit of satisfaction, was Walt Wallaby, who seemed familiar with it.

The Red Wallaby smiled, adjusting his coat quickly before commenting; "Oh so they've chosen this one. It's good, innit? The British Mobian Air Force made it last year. They call it the Mirage Phantom!"

"VERY IMPRESSIVE INDEED MY DEAR FELLOW!" Agreed Beta. "BUT WE CANNOT WASTE ANY MORE TIME HERE. PREPARE TO BOARD!"

Entering through a small hatch in the side, the Freedom Fighters got themselves sitting comfortably inside the Interior, which unlike the more interesting paint job on the exterior, was very a plainly solid Green.

Several screws held the skeletal like structure together, also supporting the many wires of different proportions of performing the various tasks such as powering the engine. A fire extinguisher was placed on the left wall in case of trouble, hanging close to a silver painted area that was lowered slightly down from the main floor. This was the Bomb Compartment, obviously not loaded with Bombs are there was no War that the Downundians were fighting, not even with Robotnik himself!

The chairs that the crew had to sit in were wrapped in firm muddy coloured leather over a very uncomfortable appearing metal frame. A back pocket was attached to each chair, in case the Passengers had anything to place in it.

But the other feature aside from the Control Deck, which was clustered with so many controls that Tails and Manic had trouble counting them for a small game, there were a few gun turrets placed around the Bomber, which unlike the Bomb Compartment, were actually loaded with working guns, which Walt claimed had been used for testing purposes, but the Air Force Technicians had simply forgotten to take the Bullets out afterwards.

Still sticking to his no time wasting policy, Beta rushed into the Control Deck and asked Tails; "MAY I?"

"Sure, go ahead Mecha! You're a better pilot than me anyways." Replied the Fox Cub kindly.

As Amy also hopped into her seat, fastening the seat belt as did her comrades, they awaited take-off.

The beautiful aircraft rumbled slightly on its wheels as the engine speed was increased, in order to be ready to lift off from the launch road.

"Hurry Beta, the Swat Drones will notice us any moment!" Walt egged him on.

Slamming the Throttle straight, the mechanical Hedgehog braced himself for take-off.

"WORD OF WARNING PEOPLE." Started Metallix.

"What? Is there something wrong with the aircraft?" Asked Cyrus.

The machine shook its head. "NO. IT'S JUST THAT I HAVEN'T FLOWN A PLANE FOR 14 YEARS!"

Manic and Tails both gasped; their faces filled with an absolutely dumbfounded look. "ARE YOU KIDDING US?! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN INTO ONE OF ROBOTNIK'S HOVER VEHICLES?" Shouted Walt, who was also surprised.

But the robot was not in the mood to argue. "CALM DOWN WALT. I STILL REMEMBER QUITE A BIT FROM MY TRAINING. I CAN HANDLE THIS. JUST BE READY!"

The interior began to rumble violently as the wheels of the plane crossed over a terrain of slightly bumpy rock. Taking off had to be now or never!

"INTO THE HANDS OF FATE!" Increased the volume of the electronic voice from Beta's mouthpiece while he pulled back the Throttle to his metal chest.

The engines slammed into their function without delay; the Propellers zipped round and round like a chainsaw, gnawing at the air for ages while the main body of the Aircraft levitated into the sky, soaring like the most colossal bird in Mobius.

As everyone on board breathed with a sigh of relief, Metallix quickly flipped a switch to pull up the wheels into the wings, as a way of decreasing the weight.

"WELL. THAT'S ONE THING I NEVER HAD TO DO BACK IN THE OLD DAYS!" He murmured, once the Wheels were up.

Below, the Swat Drones ceased firing, as the Downundian Freedom Fighters had been forced to surrender. They stared up at the sky, hearing the sound of the Mirage Phantom's four engines as the shape of it covered the sun momentarily.

 **Later, high in the skies of Mobius…..**

There were no windows aboard the aircraft, so only through the control deck and the gunner cockpits, were the Mobians aboard able to view Mobius' enormous sea from above.

"It's….Beautiful!" Commented Amy, marvelled at the vastness she could see below.

Barely anyone on the Mirage Phantom at this moment had seen the seas of Mobius from a height like this, where only a few clouds could block their view.

As they crossed past a few of Downunda's coastlines, Metallix pulled out a map of Mobius from the compartment on the wall behind his seat.

He had rarely attempted such a task like this; flying from country to country by Plane.

Back in his days as a Soldier during the Great War, Beta had always taken the risky and slower route of using boats filled with Soldiers to cross over to a continent such as the South Icecap or even to Flame Core Island, up by the oldest Overlander city in all of Mobius; Soleanna.

The closest land to Downunda, according to the map, was three different locations; the continent of Mongor Jungle, the ruins of an Overlander city that was under construction before the Great War had started but later was used as a battle ground for the last few battles against the Savatonian Overlander Army long ago. The third was Miracle Island, home to the gorgeous Never Lake. It was an island of a legend, but nobody ever lived there, aside from Mobini Animals, the remnants of the creatures that Mobians had been long ago before the planet had been called Mobius. For that reason, it was one of the few wilderness locations of the world.

But what Metallix's main concern about the island would be that if they ran out of fuel, crash landing on the island would be an absolute disaster, as there wouldn't be any resources to repair the plane with, or any vehicles they could take. This was indeed a dangerous but vital part of the mission.

As for the Mirage Phantom itself, all the military details that Walt had explained briefly to him was that it was the only plane of its kind, merely created as a prototype for testing purposes. The Downundian Government both did not have the finances to build more, nor did they need more unless a War broke out. However, the Government had actually dictated that Robotnik's position made him more of a terrorist that controls a country, attempting a slow invasion. But perhaps the biggest reason for this would be that barely any country could possibly afford to start a War again, after the previous one had cost so many lives, money and resources. And that only took 5 years!

Luckily though, the Plane had been designed well enough that even if it were to be used by Freedom Fighters, defending itself would not be impossible whatsoever.

The engines seemed to be quite loud, echoing in the sky as if a whole stream of invisible Mirage Phantoms were flying next to them in a particular formation.

"PERHAPS THAT IS WHY THEY CALL IT A PHANTOM." Calculated the robot, whom had set a course on the map for Roboland.

The plane made a quick U-Turn in the direction of the country, the engines making a slight buzz as the altitude changed around the wings.

Sitting up in the top Gun Cockpit was Manic himself, admiring the clouds above.

Yawning slightly due to being tired out from all the excitement of earlier, the Hedgehog wondered what his brother Sonic had been up to all this time.

"It's gotta have been at least several hours since Mecha and I left…." Thought Manic, wishing he had a watch on his wrist.

As they'd left quickly after finding out about Tails, Cyrus and Amy being taken to Downunda, so of course Sonic didn't know. He'd probably be confused to where they'd gone. Hopefully he hadn't tried to go to Downunda himself if he found out.

"Yo Mecha!" Manic called the robot, using a radio inside the gun cockpit. "How far are we from Roboland?"

"SEVERAL MILES STILL. WE'LL HAVE TO CROSS OVER MIRACLE ISLAND. LUCKILY, I THINK THE STORM THAT SENT THE PRISON SHIP OFF COURSE HAS DIED DOWN. OUR FLIGHT SHOULD BE GENERALLY DANGER-FREE." Explained Beta, examining the map while still holding onto the Throttle.

Cyrus was also in a gun cockpit, specifically the one below the control deck known as the 'Nose Gun'.

"I still can't believe we made it out alive! I guess luck is on our side after all." He mumbled, sighing in relief.

Beta's voice crackled in from the radio; "NOT LUCK CYRUS. SKILL AND COURAGE! THAT'S WHAT YOU FREEDOM FIGHTERS HAVE. WITHOUT IT ROBOTNIK WOULD SEE YOU AS A SIMPLE FLIE THAT IS EASILY SWATTED. BUT NO, YOU'RE ACTUALLY STRONG ENOUGH TO FOIL HIS PLANS OF CONQUEST!"

"To a certain extent." Interrupted Walt Wallaby.

Walt was trying to relax at the back of the Aircraft in the cockpit of the 'tail gun', allowing him to see how far they'd gotten from Downunda so far.

"We're not an army, Beta. We can defend ourselves, even with reinforcements such as the ones we're trying to get, but our resistance is poor at offensive attacks. I doubt your Resistance is even close to being as strong as the almighty powerful armies were at the start of the Great War."

"MY DEAR FELLOW." Insisted Beta. "QUITE CLEARLY YOU HAVEN'T SEEN OUR RESISTANCE IN ACTION, NOR THE CONDITIONS WE FACE IN ROBOTROPOLIS."

Walt shrugged this comment off slightly; "Hmph! I suppose I'm going to find out, but at least you don't have to worry about accidentally waging war with Robotnik!"

Beta wasn't pleased with Walt's constant arguing manner.

"NOW WALT. I WOULD PREFER IT IF YOU WOULDN'T WASTE OUR TIME HERE ARUG-"

The machine ceased speech. Something else had caught its undivided attention.

Cyrus and Walt had too become silent.

….

"What's that over there in the distant?" Manic called out, breaking the silence all of sudden.

Metallix's metal ears nearly flinched as if they were organic.

"MANIC, GET DOWN FROM THERE AND INTO THE CONTROL DECK. RIGHT NOW!" Commanded the mechanical hedgehog.

"Wha-?" Was the confused former prince's reply.

"SWAP PLACES WITH ME FOR GOODNESS' SAKE!" Yelled back Beta, before Manic pulled himself down the ladder and dashed into the control deck.

With an immense leap, the robot dragged his heavily swaying robotic limbs up into the head gunner's cockpit, strapping a parachute clip around himself, then immediately flinging the control throttle sideways to send the cockpit and the guns swinging in the opposite direction, facing two flying mysterious objects in the sky.

Manic didn't know what was going on, but dashed into the Control Deck as asked.

"What's going on Mecha?!" He blurted out in a tensed tone.

The robot's reply came instantly. "ALERT! ALERT! SWAT BOT HOVER-PODS INCOMING!"

Tails, jumped at the mention of this, peering out from a passenger window, in time to spot a Hover Vehicle zoom by in the distance, making a quick U-Turn back to its Flight Comrade.

"Oh not again!" Mumbled the Fox Cub, he'd only just come out of an experience with tackling some!

"BANDITS INCOMING FROM THE WEST!" Yelled Walt over the radio.

"BANDITS? TAKE THEM OUT!" Snapped Beta.

RATATATATATATATATATATATAT!

"Missed him! These guys move fast!" Returned Walt after a brief bit of firing.

Back at the Control Deck, Manic was panicking. He didn't know much about aircraft controls such as this at all. He wasn't a pilot, he was a mere thief and Freedom Fighter!

"Mecha, listen! What am I supposed to do here?! I don't fly planes!" Reported in the Green Hedgehog, desperate for advice.

"HAVE YOU EVER FLOWN A HOVER-POD, OLD CHAP?!"

RATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!

"Yes, but-" Began Manic.

RATATATATATATATATAT!

Beta was heavily occupied with trying to shoot down the Hover-Pods, so he made one last snapping remark to his hedgehog friend before returning his full one hundred percent concentration to shooting; "THEN TREAT IT LIKE ONE, FOR GOODNESS SAKE! JUST CHECK HOW FAR WE ARE TO ROBOLAND!"

Not fully reassured, but still packed with determination to reach their destination, Manic picked up the map Beta had previously been using, and noted that the last mark that had been put on had been 2 minutes ago.

Sighing to himself amongst all the firing, he guessed there were at least 5 or 6 miles to go.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!

"Hm. Maybe I should increase the engine power? That usually helps, right?" Thought Manic.

He then toggled the Throttle until the Mirage Phantom was at its fastest, hoping neither of the Hover-Pods would shoot the engines at this 'crucial' moment.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!

Cyrus whimpered below, not having the best luck with hitting one of the targets.

"Any tips Mecha?!" Asked Cyrus, who really regretted coming on the mission earlier with Sonic to the Fludron Mines.

"AIM ABOVE!" Growled Beta, annoyed with the constant questions at such a time.

Cyrus thought for a moment, as he took aim in the way he was instructed.

The aircraft had no hope of its guns managing to shoot down the Hover-Pods at this distance, so what could be done?

Then, he felt a light bulb flash in his head, at the instant of an idea.

"Manic." The lion hissed through the radio's microphone at his end. "Turn the Mirage to the right and towards the Swat Bots. We need a better distance. Hurry!"

Manic was flabbergasted.

"But that'll lower our speed! Won't it?!"

Metallix too, did not approve of the plan.

"CYRUS, NO. MANIC SPEAKS TRUTHFULLY HERE, WE MUSN'T SLOW DOWN!"

Cyrus had enough, he wasn't going to let everyone see him as a wimp now, and he wasn't always a coward. He could help.

"NOW MANIC!" The lion roared, as he spotted the Hover-Pods edging in for a fatal shooting at his gun cockpit.

With such emphasis put on that one command, even if it weren't from Beta, Manic understood Cyrus' reasoning.

SWOOSH!

The Swat Bot pilots looked at the aircraft in confusion as it punched itself in their direction, Cyrus handling the throttle to make the guns on his aircraft point up for one good shot.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!

There was no sound of explosions in the distance that reached any of the crew's ears, but a slight jeer from Cyrus that made Amy and Tails jump was a signature of success that didn't need any comment to be made on.

With one last sigh of relief, Beta decided to make a separate comment of a different subject.

"ALRIGHT NOW, OLD CHAP. YOU CAN TURN US BACK TO THE REGULAR POSITION."

Next, once the Mirage Phantom was straight and properly moving forwards, the journey continued for a few minutes, with Manic this time sitting with Tails and Amy as the Mechanical Hedgehog returned to the Control Deck.

"I THINK MY SHOOTING SKILLS ARE RUSTIER THAN EVER. HEH HEH." Chuckled Beta, complimenting Cyrus in a way.

But soon the machine remained quiet, peering out at the clouds.

As he had predicted, there was no storm in their way; "THANK GOODNESS."

Although, the minute after, he gave one important message over the radio; "ATTENTION, FREEDOM FIGHTERS. WE'LL BE LANDING ON THE BORDERLAND OF ROBOLAND SHORTLY. BRACE YOURSELVES AT ONCE."

Finally! After such effort on a dangerous adventure, their quest had taken them back home to Roboland, where despite dangers still lying in their path, the overall atmosphere compared to the unfamiliarity of Downunda, was to Tails,Amy,Cyrus, Manic and somewhat for Metallix Beta, slightly more refreshing to think about.

CLUNK!

Wheels skidding as the brakes coughed at the strain of pressure to slow down the movement of the plane as it had landed on the airstrip area of the borderland, close to the ruins of a communications tower previously destroyed by Sonic and some other Freedom Fighters during **_Operation: Nomad_** , the impact was not the smoothest landing Metallix had done.

"URRGHHH!" Scowled the robot as the interior shook wildly due to the main body of the plane shaking a bit upon landing.

Nevertheless, the plane had landed safely enough for the crew to open the hatch in the side, allowing them to jump out, with Tails giving the older and heavier Beta and Walt a hand in getting to the ground as there was no staircase attached to the hatch.]

"WELCOME TO ROBOLAND, FOLKS. I THINK WE'VE GOT COMPANY." Pointed out Beta, noticing some Trooper Badniks slowly marching towards them.

Troopers were perhaps the most common Badnik deployed by Robotnik's Forces, after all many of them were part of the Special Badnik Service. With their 'Bucket-like-soldier helmet-heads' and creepy skeletal grey faces, they were quite intimidating to look at. But their large bulky chest and energy pack powered blasters wired up to their backs (which could easily be disconnected sometimes) and hard fists made a large amount of them a match for a small amount of Freedom Fighters, even if they had Sonic the Hedgehog or in fact any member of the Sonic Underground at their side.

"There's too many of them to take on. What do we do?" Asked Tails.

Manic stepped forwards, with a determined look. He'd had enough of uncertainty in these situations.

"What do we do? What we always do. Do our duty while kicking some Robuttnik."

The strategy was simple. Several metres away from them stood the Sonic Underground's Camper Van; their ride to Robotropolis. But Troopers were coming in from all direction. So the solution? Run and smash of course!

If a Surveillance Orb of Robotnik's was in the air, studying the events below, it would be seeing this; a hot and drought filled rocky terrain will tall red figures of the same design appearing as a swarm of creatures attempting to hunt down their prey. It didn't matter which one of the red figures got the prey, as long as the prey was subdued. But dividing and conquering was the perfect advantage for the prey, for their task could be accomplished with at least one of them reaching their transport away from the hunting swarm.

And so divide and conquer they did! The Fox Cub and the Teenage Lion dashed their through the middle, slashing carefully at the chests of the Troopers as much as possible without a single bit of delay in their speed. The aging mechanical soldier threw itself into acrobatic fashion with the Wallaby hopping beside him, taking its time to launch itself of the foreheads of the shining metallic skull faced opponents crowding the area. The Honest Thief and the courageous girl slammed through and through the red figures as if they were paper cards ready to be shot a hole through.

The objective was not to defeat their opponent, but they certainly gave them a worthy enough beating, even as a small number of Mobians. As appropriately said, 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall.'

But getting to the Camper Van was only the first stage of trying to get to Robotropolis. The Borderland of Roboland was closest to the city of Truamrora, but going through there would be a waste of time. The best route would be to take the path past the towns of Culcheth and Fortaare and then through the city of Fludron itself, which was located right next to both the Mines that Sonic, Cyrus, Tails and Amy had been in, as well as the Mainland River.

Going into Fludron was a danger in itself. While Robotropolis had plenty of hiding places for Freedom Fighters, Fludron was wide open and contained many high roads for Swat Bots and Troopers to come in their Hover-Pods and hunt down any Freedom Fighter intruders. But this was a risk that had to be taken.

"GET IN THE VAN!" Yelled Metallix Beta, who'd managed to get into the front.

"I'm driving this time Mecha! It belongs to the Sonic Underground after all!" Said Manic, jumping into the Driver's seat on the left.

Amy, who had heard tales of the Sonic Underground during her days of being a slave for Robotnik, recognised the van as the same one many claimed had turned up all around the country in 3237, when the Sonic Underground travelled across to tackle Robotnik's schemes.

"Aha! So this is it! I can't wait to see the rest of the Resistance!" She cried, excited.

"I bet you'll like it!" Replied Tails, sitting next to her in one of the passenger seats located at the right side of the vehicle's interior. "We'll prove to them that we're old enough to take down some dumb bots!"

But Walt had something else on his mind.

"Listen Beta, I want to know more about your plan here. What's going to happen to the Mirage Phantom? And how's the 'reinforcements' going to help the rest of the Downunda Resistance?"

As Manic started up the engine once Cyrus, who was the last one to get in stumbled slightly upon entering the Van, Beta made a quick reply; "I'M NOT SURE WALT. BUT IF I CAN GUESS ACCURATELY, WITH LUCK A PART OF THE RESISTANCE CAN FIND THE AIRCRAFT SAFE AND SOUND AND GET BACK TO DOWNUNDA IN TIME TO DEAL WITH THE SWAT DRONES. IT'S A CAMPAIGN THAT MIGHT REQUIRE REINFORCEMENTS FOR A LONG TIME, SO DON'T THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE A ONE-OFF ASSISTANCE."

The Van's engine roared with power, as the exhausts fumed with gas, before it sped off in a hurry, towards Fludron.

Taking at least 3 hours to get close, there was thankfully no sign of Troopers in the area. But Metallix would always warn the gang not to let their guard down.

As they drove quietly but fast into Fludron, Amy, Tails and Cyrus took time to watch as the buildings went past in the distance.

Fludron was nothing special in its entirety, just a regular old Mobian city but with only one unique feature; long sprawling highways that stretched throughout the location, going in multiple directions. But just like many cities in Roboland in this time, it seemed devoid of any life.

Bored after a while, Tails thought about what could happen upon their return to Resistance Headquarters.

"I'm sure Sonic will be really happy to see me safe and sound, but what if Trevor and Freedom Fighters tell me off for going on such a dangerous mission? And I don't wanna think what the other kids will say once I get there. But they'll likely say something along the lines of; 'Oh hey Miles the Loser! What kind of Dumbo are you, thinking you can be cool and go on a mission? Probably bribed your way in, ha!'."

Still cautious, the gang awaited the chance to be on the highway that would soon lead them out of Fludron and onto Robotropolis.

But where were the Swat Bots on patrol? It made sense not to see any Mobians wandering out and about, as most would be roboticised and sent to work Robotropolis' factories, but surely lots of Swat Bots were made to patrol every settlement in the country?

Suddenly, the Van reached a part of the city which appeared to have had some sort of conflict going on recently; old military jeeps that had likely been stolen for fighting uses, a couple of Swat Bot wreckages, tiny but shiny tufts of Mobian fur laying singed on the ground, battle damaged buildings that had rubble stretching over into a small city square type area as well as feeble looking clubs that seemed to have been used as weapons. Obviously there'd been a fight with Swat Bots here.

"Looks like we're not the only ones in Roboland who've resisted Fatso's rule." Commented Manic, looking somewhat sad at the lack of any Mobian Freedom Fighters wandering about.

"You're right about that Manic. I don't think we've ever gotten the chance to explore other cities in our country. And I don't they get much non-robot visitors either. Doubt Robotnik ever sets foot here at all." Sighed Cyrus, agreeing with Manic's point.

Walt Wallaby on the other hand, stared out of the window, looking more stunned and shocked than anyone else in the Van.

"Metallix Beta…I-I take back what I said on the Plane about your struggles against Robotnik. I thought there'd be more Mobians here fighting for Freedom. I never believed Roboland was empty and lifeless mostly….."

The robotic Great War veteran did not twist his mechanical head 90 degrees. The machine stayed put as Manic kept driving cautiously but still taking in the scenery around him.

Walt expected Beta would reply, but no sound came out of the voice projector mouth-piece on the robot's chin. Nothing. No electric coughs, no grunts, no sighs and certainly no muttering under his mechanical breath. Just Silence.

"Beta?" Called Walt calmly, trying to get an honest reply.

Knowing that Beta had become very impatient and was likely running low on energy power, which was the second thing that stopped him from speaking, next to the robot's current opinion on Walt's previous attitude, Manic stepped into the conversation himself.

"You get it now Mr. Wallaby? We're not a private army that fights a brutal dictator. We're just a bunch of underground rebels trying to make a difference. They call it a civil-war; we call it a desperate struggle. I remember that not long ago, Roboland still felt alive, even with Robotnik in control of Robotropolis. Those were the days me and my family grew up in. Not just Sonic and Sonia, but my foster parents too. Same for my bro and sis. As annoying as those aristocrats got, I realise now how lucky they were for a time. All they had to do was pay Buttnik enough and he'd leave them alone! Y'know, I understand why Sonic misses going out to a Chili Dog stand. It's not just that there's no more left, it's just that there's no community for him to eat it in! Sonia misses going to a spa, where she could be herself for a bit. Take a break from all the hard work we do. And me? I miss being the sneaky ol' Manic the Thief, who just….Stole for the experience. Not to make someone mad because they don't have a precious possession anymore. I gave the stuff back. After a while at least. But still. Robotnik's not a terrorist to us. He watches over us. Everywhere we go. There isn't any other place besides our base to hide from him. He didn't just conquer the country. He took away our Freedom. Who we were, and why we were that. We're not the same without that. Most get roboticised. Even if we survive, we're not free. We're just fighting. That's why we call ourselves Freedom Fighters."

Walt had heard all wanted to know. He understood.

As the Downundian turned away, looking somewhat ashamed, Manic looked at him with a bit of sympathy. And then focused on the road.

"Hey guys, I think we're almost out of Fludron now!" Announced the Green Hedgehog, looking a bit happier.

"Phew. I'm getting nauseous even looking at this deserted city!" Sighed Cyrus.

However, Manic didn't hear this comment, as he all of a sudden noticed a reflection in the right rear-view mirror of the Van.

"Mecha, look." Said the Hedgehog, nudging the robot's clunky shoulder.

Beta did not answer, but the direction his digital eyes were pointed in told Manic that he'd noticed too.

For a moment the former Prince did not takes his eyes off the mirror, for three jeeps with Swat Bots were driving behind them, Swat Bots holding blasters ready to shoot the Van.

"KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD, HEDGEHOG!" Beta snarled suddenly.

The highway had reached a roundabout!

BANG! BANG! RATATATAT!

With firing already occurring from their pursuers' firearms, Manic quickly jerked the van into a skidding motion, turning them into a tight street with plenty of difficult to manoeuvre through corners. But this was the least of his worries.

RATATATATAT!

Like the Swat Bots that had chased them during their trip from Port Mobius I a month ago, these attacked relentlessly, with the almost obvious notion that they had orders to capture any Freedom Fighters for Roboticisation if they were sighted in the city.

"I'm getting a sense of Déjà vu here." Muttered Manic. "We can't just keep out-manoeuvring them. Cyrus! Get up there and use that spare Blaster on my bed to keep em' occupied!"

"If you say so Manic! Oh man….I hate doing these kinds of jobs!" Whined Cyrus a little.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATAT! BANG BANG!

Once Cyrus had the Blaster and climbed up the ladder to the hatch of the top cockpit, ready to fire at the Swat Bots, Manic turned to Beta for directions.

"Okay Mecha. Where's the shortest route out from here?"

"TAKE A TURN ROUND THE SQUARE OVER TO THE LEFT. THEN THE MIDDLE ROAD WILL TAKE US TO A WIDE-OPEN FINAL HIGHWAY WITH A BIT MORE BREATHING SPACE."

"Gotcha." Manic acknowledged.

Taking the suggested route, the Hedgehog hoped that Cyrus was doing fine and had actually managed to ward the Swat Bots off somewhat.

KZZZT! KZZZZZT! KZZZZT!

Cyrus wasn't doing too badly; his shots were close to hitting one of the Jeeps, but every now and then he'd have to duck to avoid their shots as well. And they were getting closer and closer!

"DISABLE THEIR VEHICLE AT ONCE. FREEDOM FIGHTERS MUST BE CAPTURED BY ORDER OF ROBOTNIK. FIRE. FIRE." Droned one of the robots, pointing at the Camper Van.

Unknown to the Swat Bots, a Hover-Pod was hovering above in the sky, having emerged from near one of the buildings.

Gasping, Cyrus ducked underneath and yelled down to the passengers; "HOVER-POD ON OUR TAIL!"

"Is it close? I can't see it through the mirror!" Called back Manic, frustratingly trying to stay out of range of the incoming Jeeps.

"JUST KEEP GOING MANIC. WE CAN MAKE IT!" Suggested Beta, putting down the map of Roboland he had with him.

Cyrus got up, and then was about to fire at the Hover-Pod when he noticed it was oddly aiming its guns down at the jeeps.

"Wait a sec-" He paused, looking at the cockpit. It wasn't a Trooper or Swat Bot piloting it!

Much to Cyrus' surprise and delight, waving to him with a cheeky grin was Sonic the Hedgehog! Giving him a wink, the Blue Blur pointed up, to which Cyrus' eyes tracked two more Hover-Pods containing 2 Freedom Fighters in each, flying formation with Sonic leading them.

"It's Sonic!" Yelped Cyrus down to the gang.

"Cool! I knew he'd save us!" Jeered Tails, pleased to know his hero was near.

"Yeah! Such a brave hedgehog to rescue us!" Giggled Amy, feeling overjoyed.

Manic smiled. It was great to know that his Brother could still surprise him and have his back sometimes when least expected.

Making a notion equivalent to that of ordering to fire as well as mouthing words that Cyrus couldn't hear but looked something like to Cyrus as 'Juice and Jam time!', Sonic appeared to speak into a communicator in his Hover-Pod, before all of them start shooting at the Jeeps, which the Swat Bots had only just turned around to notice.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATAT! BANG!

RATATATATATAT! BANG!

RATATATATATATATAT! KABOOOMM!

With only one line of shooting from each Freedom Fighter in the Hover-Pods, the Jeeps burst into flames as the machine gun bullets sliced through into the engines, blowing them to bits in a satisfying inferno of an explosion, with some Swat Bot parts flying out onto the road as the remains of the Jeeps tipped over and lay down on their sides.

" _Doing my work for me, eh bro? But I still have to save your neck now and then!_ " Buzzed Sonic's voice through a communicator in the Van.

"Ha ha! Good to hear from you again Sonic! We've got some guests on board you'd be glad to see!" Piped up Manic in reply.

" _So I've noticed. Not bad for a Thief!_ " Returned Sonic. " _See you guys back at base! It seems our mission to Fludron wasn't a total waste after all._ "

And with that, Sonic and the other Freedom Fighters flew off in their Hover-Pods.

Now to Robotropolis!

 **Much later…**

A dark rain cloud filled sky alongside a claustrophobic atmosphere does not make a pleasant day in Robotropolis as usual.

Walt had never been to Robotropolis nor when it was Mobotropolis (that was before he was born), so this was a totally new experience to him. But of course, since Fludron was merely the icing on the cake, the so called 'Big City' was bound to be overwhelming.

"Since when did Freedom Fighters ever have to sneak around this much? I'll never get completely used to this…" He murmured.

Even though they'd managed to get back, with Sonic beside them, things did not seem to be right.

"What's takin' them so long?" Commented Sonic tapping his foot as the rain drops poured down his spikes and into the mist that remained from an earlier fog that had hit the city.

The gang had sent some of the Freedom Fighters that accompanied Sonic to Fludron City to go and check if the second entrance to Resistance HQ was safe to go through, as that was the only way to get the Camper Van in and out of it.

"I HAVE A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS SONIC. IF THEY'VE NOT RETURNED, THEN THERE'S PROBABLY SWAT BOTS WAITING CLOSE TO THE ENTRANCE!" Theorised Metallix, standing next to Manic.

"You might be right. This is Mondo ugly. Just like Robuttnik. Yeuck!" Returned the Hedgehog, showing more of his dislike for the Dictator.

While a Junkyard would be an ideal hiding place for any Freedom Fighter, it didn't mean anybody would be able to avoid being spotted by Swat Bots and Hover-Vehicles on patrol.

Trotting on the giant wet puddle beneath his feet, Manic looked through some electric binoculars at their surroundings; "I can't see them anywhere close to the entrance! Nor here….What if they've been captured?"

"I hate to think so, but you have a point Bro." Mumbled Sonic, with displeased tone.

"It's so dark here! You actually live somewhere here?" Asked Amy. This was also her first visit to Robotropolis.

"Well not exactly. But if we can get through to one of the entrances, we'll get into our Secret Base!" Explained Tails.

Sonic smiled at the Fox, delighted that he'd been saved and hadn't ended up roboticised. Otherwise Trevor might've been lecturing him about how irresponsible and foolish he was to leave his comrades behind on South Island!

"Y'know Tails. I think you'll make a Mondo cool Freedom Fighter!" Spoke Sonic, complimenting his friend.

"Aw thanks Sonic, but I'm not as good as you." Replied Tails quietly.

A couple of more minutes passed until Sonic decided enough was enough.

"This is too weird! They never take this long! We gotta check out the coast ourselves!" Said the Blue Hedgehog firmly.

Tiptoeing very softly up to a pile of junk to look over, the crew followed Sonic.

"See anything Manic?" Asked Sonic.

"Not ye-wait. There's some movement in the distance." Whispered the Brother, peering through the electric binoculars.

Manic stared around the area, noticing the same movement and shapes he'd seen a moment ago.

"Well Bro? We're waaaaittingg….." Grumped the Hedgehog.

"Swat Bots. They're camouflaged! It's easy for them to hide amongst buildings!" Breathed back Manic, carefully pointing next to a row of warehouses where the base's entrance was located.

Snatching the binoculars to see for himself, Sonic observed the Swat Bots.

They were still the same design and structure as the ones he'd known for a while, but these were specifically painted a greyish blue, making it hard to see them in the dark. And when in Robotropolis, it's always dark, no matter what. This was of course thanks to the dark and polluted clouds that rarely moved and hung above the city 24/7.

"No kidding Bro. I can only just notice their ugly heads turning around!" Sighed Sonic, putting the Binoculars down.

Crawling in next to them was Metallix Beta, who knew the area better than them.

"I FEAR OUR COMRADES HAVE BEEN ROBOTICISED BY NOW. THE CAMOUFLAGE IS LIKELY ROBOTNIK'S LATEST SOLUTION TO MANY FREEDOM FIGHTERS EVADING CAPTURING. REMIND ME TO CHANGE SOME DETAILS IN THE TRAINING LESSONS SOMETIME." Commented Beta.

"This happens often?" Asked Walt, looking very worried.

"Yea….Egg-Breath doesn't know the meaning of mercy." Growled Sonic quietly.

"THEN I SUGGEST WE FORMULATE A STRATEGIC PLAN TO GET US IN TO THE REGULAR ENTRANCE. THE VAN WILL HAVE TO BE HIDDEN IN A SPARE WAREHOUSE AND RETRIEVED LATER."

"Like what for example?" Mumbled Cyrus, who never liked sneaking around the city that much.

"OH A VERY SIMPLE ONE, CYRUS. SONIC EQUALS DISTRACTION, WE EQUALS RUNNING TO ENTRANCE."

"You're joking, right?! We'll never get there in time! There's bound to be more Swat Bot guards around!" Gulped Cyrus.

"OH BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO RUN DOWN THE WAREHOUSE STREET, SILLY LION. WE'LL TAKE THE SHORTCUT. UNDERSTOOD?" Solidified the robot.

Sonic grinned at his comrades.

"What? Do horses eat grass? Does Robuttnik stink? Dumb question Mecha. Of course I'm ready!"

Everyone else nodded.

As the Robolandian Freedom Fighters did their fist bumps, Walt looked on and decided to try it himself.

"Maybe you should give it go with your Freedom Fighters someday Walt!" Suggested Tails.

"Enough talk. Let's do it to it!" Jeered the Blue Blur.

 **A little later…..**

It was a regular day for Swat Bot Patrol 00009 in Robotropolis.

Now and then, Freedom Fighters would turn up and were to be captured for immediate Roboticisation under the order of their Master.

But their programming dictated that this job would be easier for them now that they had dark bluish grey camouflage paint instead of white and normal grey.

Their current objective was to guard Sector 4868, which was close to an Oil Plant, where Robotnik's supply of plastic and other resources could be made. Any oil that was not in the correct specifications would be dropped down a drain and into sewers that would pollute the old Mobotropolis River. This was a former park that existed well into Robotropolis' later years, even if it were in ruins.

But of course, to make way for the Oil Plant, the Park was dismantled in 3236.

Now no citizen walked around the city, aside from a Robian or two.

The patrol continued its routine when all of a sudden, a voice called at them from behind.

"Afternoon Swat Bots! How're ya doing? Feeling ugly?"

Each Bot span round to find Sonic the Hedgehog standing in their midst.

"Oh boy. You don't have to tell me bozos. I know ugly when I see it. And you're it. Mondo ugly." Grinned Sonic, having fun mocking the Swat Bots.

Their computer brains confused at the Freedom Fighter's words, the Bots turned their heads to each other briefly.

"Ahh….." Yawned Sonic. "Oh and by the way. Do you know what time it is?"

No reply from the Swat Bots.

"Oh yeah. That's right. Time for me to juice! Adios!" Returned the Blue Blur cheekily, before speeding in a flash of dust.

The Swat Bots then ignored the previous comments made by the intruder and opted to pursue him as their protocol commanded.

"PRIORITY 1, HEDGEHOG. CAPTURE BY ORDER BY ROBOTNIK. HEDGEHOG ALERT!" Droned the Swat Bots, dashing as fast as their clunky build allowed.

Chuckling to himself, Sonic knew the Swat Bots were after him, as despite their camouflage they still made plenty of noisy stomping when you were in close earshot.

He zoomed round the corner of the Oil Plant, before scaling up to the roof of a short building nearby.

But of course, the Swat Bots were stupid enough to fall for the trick that he'd gone a different direction!

Meanwhile, the others emerged from the side of a tower on the right of the square with the oil plant, and carefully manoeuvred their way to the Warehouses.

"MOVE IT! MOVE IT!" Called Beta, making sure the volume of his voice wasn't too loud.

Even though Metallix, Tails, Amy, Cyrus and Walt managed to get to the street quickly, Manic wasn't running fast enough, as all of a sudden he ran straight into an unexpected bot.

"Uh oh. Swat Drone!" He gasped. It looked just like one from Downunda!

"PRIORITY 1 HEDGEHOG. SURRENDER!" Droned the Bot, instantly firing a warning shot.

"Agh!" Cried Manic, the impact of the laser hitting the ground sending him bouncing backwards.

Trying to react quickly, Manic flushed out a smaller Drum Kit from his Magic Medallion.

Jumping slightly away from the Drone, the former Prince unleashed his Drum Sticks and tried using lasers on it, but to no avail. It was invulnerable!

"YOU CANNOT DESTROY ME. I AM AGENT Z. YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR CRIMES AGAINST THE ROBOTNIK EMPIRE INCLUDING DESTROYING AGENT N LAST YEAR."

"Another RIA bot? Ha!" Called a voice. "Hang tight bro, I'll take on this bozo!"

Sonic spin attacked straight off the building, momentarily stunning the Swat Drone, but not inflicting any damage.

Once he reached the metallic ground, Sonic was a bit surprised.

"Woah. A tough one are ya? No biggie. I've beaten tough bots before, and I'll crush you just like them!"

Pulling out his own Medallion, he plucked string by string on the Guitar in an attempt to overwhelm the Bot, but even this seemed to have no effect.

"Wow, Walrus-chops never makes these things easy to smash, does he? Okay, how about this!"

Instead of firing simple lasers, Sonic used the Guitar to fire a special laser beam designed to hold its target in place, however, this didn't seem strong enough to fully hold it!

"ARRGHHH! Stay put you stupid bozo!" Growled the Hedgehog, struggling.

"Don't count me out Sonic!" Returned Manic, stepping into help with a similar beam from his Drum Kit. "UNGGGH!"

While Manic's other beam seemed to enhance the effect greatly, there wasn't anything the two could do to damage the Swat Drone!

"SONIC! MANIC! WHAT'S GOING ON?" Metallix luckily was around the corner, having come to see what was holding them up.

"W-w-what'd you think Mecha?! This thing's flipping out, big time!" Cried Sonic, trying to hold on.

"No kidding!" Replied Manic.

Metallix looked around to see if there was anything to help, and then had an idea.

"HEDGEHOGS! TRY AND GET HIM TO TURN TOWARDS THE PIPE, I'LL HANDLE THE REST!" Suggested Beta, running over to the pipe.

"Sure thing Mecha! But we can't hold him like this all day!" Urged Sonic.

Next to the pipe that seemed to be pumping raw oil into the Oil Plant, Metallix pressed a button on the control panel of his right hand.

"NOT TRIED THIS OUT FOR AGES! BUT I'VE GOT ENOUGH ENERGY FOR JUST ONE LITTLE JOB!" He jeered, as his hand suddenly retracted its fingers and then used them to create a saw type blade, which the robot used to slice through the pipe!

SWOOSH! Oil began violently pouring out of the pipe, as the Mechanical Hedgehog quickly lifted it up and pointed it at the Swat Drone, which could not withstand the pressure, making it lose its balance from trying to shake all of it off!

"Phew! Past cool idea Mecha!" Sighed Sonic, changing his Medallion back. "He's all yours Manic!"

And so with one smile, Manic leaped up and karate kicked to the Swat Drone's chest, sending it plummeting into the Oil River!

"Try not to drown bozo! Ha ha!" Mocked Sonic.

 **Soon, in the Underground Resistance Headquarters below Robotropolis…..**

"You know, I think I like your base better than ours! There's just something more alive and fun about this place…." Commented Walt Wallaby.

After a long discussion with an experienced group within the Robolandian Resistance, Metallix informed Walt that the group would return with him to Downunda to take care of Robotnik's Forces there for a long duration of time, until Downunda was left alone by the Dictator's scheme.

Despite the fact that this meant giving up part of the Roboland Resistance, it was not a huge loss as it was already a giant group of Freedom Fighters that gathered new members now and then. Tails and Amy were good examples of this. And to both young Mobians' delight, they were soon made full-time Freedom Fighters! Tails was only 10, sure, but his courage proved enough to send him on certain missions, and the older and more experienced he got the more difficult missions he would be permitted by trainees to go on.

As for Manic, he found himself feeling a bit more confident as a Freedom Fighter despite his faults that usually caused problems on adventures, such as being captured too much.

And of course, Metallix Beta had earned more respect for his years of knowledge and experience of Mobius, making him an ideal strategist to take Cyrus' position, as the Lion decided he'd prefer taking a less tiring job in the Resistance.

"GOOD LUCK WALT. I HOPE THIS HAS BEEN A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR YOU." Stated Beta, shaking hands with Walt, who was just about to leave with his new group.

"It's been fun to know you Mr. Wallaby. I hope it goes well in Downunda from now on!" Said Manic, also making his farewells.

"So do I Manic Hedgehog. I'll tell Zachary Theodore you said hello. In the meantime, you'd better get back to fighting Robotnik! I bet he's got a new operation on soon. I can just feel it!" Replied Walt.

"Consider it done dude. Goodbye!" Called out Sonic.

And so the Downunda Resistance would receive new hope from its long lasting reinforcements, that emerged like angels from the sky, in a giant Bomber Aircraft, parachuting down to fight Swat Drones and make sure that Priscilla and all the other settlements of Downunda would remain safe and sound!

But while Robotnik had failed to capture Downunda, he was not completely disappointed.

" _Perfect….Perfect! The Environmental Roboticisers are complete! Once I have all my last supplies from the Robian Elite Fighter Squad, **Operation: Miracle** shall proceed as planned. AND THAT RODENT CANNOT DEFEAT HIS MATCH! Heh heh…." _ Chuckled the Dictator, in his Command Centre.

 **END OF EPISODE 11.**

 **Next time: The Robian Resistance…..**


	12. The Robian Resistance Part 1

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 _ **Sonic Underground: The Continuation**_

 _ **Season 3 Episode 12: The Robian Resistance (Part 1)**_

 _The study of Robian anatomy is an art that needs a robot to perfect the learning. But no such robot can ever be built from our knowledge to perform such a complicated task. But as we Mobians have known, the experience is what creates the knowledge. And never have I ever again been through such an experience that will show to the world how deadly and fateful the existence of a Robian is. But the details are not so black and white…._ – _Sir Charles Hedgehog_

 **At night in Robotropolis….**

The dark smoky clouds continued to create a stormy week with horrid mist and stinking pollution that had been dirtying the city ever since the Robotnik Empire gained full control of the country and started releasing a lot of polluted gas into the air, which wasn't fatal but certainly made breathing the air for Freedom Fighters feel very restricted. But this of course was no surprise, for the city was only really meant to have robots walking around.

Normally Robians would be working in the factories, as their programming commanded. But now it was possible for them to go to former Bars and Clubs to drink Oil supplies to recharge their power. But this only happened once a fortnight, since Robians had very strong cores that could last for a few weeks without too much power loss.

However, that didn't mean Robotnik didn't have other uses for them. While the Elite Robian Fighter Squad only allowed the strongest Robians to take part in certain operations the Dictator arranged, more of the roboticised citizens could help in the construction of new buildings, such as one that currently looked like an observation dome held high above the main city, but was actually a floor of an original base for Robotnik to move operations into.

Why would he build such a thing? Because believe it or not, the Command Centre (formerly Castle Acorn) was getting quite old. Not only had it been around for at least 2 generations when it was still a Castle, but now as a mechanical headquarters for the Dictator it was beginning to wear away somewhat. Constant attacks from the Resistance and failing electrics made it less useful to the Robotnik Empire overall.

Ever since Late 3224, after the Great War ended, it had been the prime landmark of the Empire as well as the main residence of the fat Overlander. Now in 3238, nearly 14 years later, it had been rumoured Robotnik himself was getting tired of the building. Therefore a new Command Centre was in need of construction.

However, this was a very vulnerable target for the Resistance to focus on.

"Oh boy! That thing's Mondo huge! But we can handle it. No biggie, right?" Asked Sonic the Hedgehog, climbing the scaffolding of the incomplete base, staring at the fully built middle floor above.

"Sonic! Stay focused!" Snapped Sonia.

"Chill Sis! I know what I'm doing!" Sonic tried assuring his sister, who disapproved of her brother's cocky nature.

"Hmph. It'd be a miracle if that were true." Grumped the outlawed Princess, as Sonic combed his hair a bit trying to make it look cool.

Close to the entrance of the finished floor, stood Metallix Beta, posing as a Robian Worker while Sonic and Sonia climbed up the scaffolding so they could get in and cause some damage with small bomb canisters they'd salvaged from a Junkyard.

The Robot lifted up a heavy crate, being careful not to lose his grip and fall straight off the platform, as the ground of Robotropolis was a long way down!

As a Swat Bot walked pass, Beta took the crate inside as a way of observing the interior to complete the formulations for their plan.

By the time he'd plopped down the crate and went back out, Sonic and Sonia had just about reached the top.

"ABOUT TIME HEDGEHOGS." Came Metallix's voice, somewhat muffled and growly due to an alteration in his voice chip to make him sound more like a Robian.

Switching the volume of his voice down cautiously in case any Swat Bot heard, he began listening to his comrades.

"Okay Mecha. We're up now. So where's the ol' generator?" Asked Sonic.

"FROM OBSERVATION THE GENERATOR IS LOCATED IN SECTOR 26, WHICH IS ACROSS THE MAIN CORRIDOR." Replied the Robot.

Sonic frowned. "The main corridor? But that's bound to be filled with Swat Bots! Any ventilation shafts?"

"UNFORTUNATELY NOT. ROBOTNIK SEEMS TO HAVE LEARNED FROM THAT OLD TRICK. EVEN IF THERE WAS ONE THERE, IT WOULD LIKELY BE TOO SMALL FOR YOU FIT IN." Explained Beta.

"Huh. Egg-Breath's a little sharper is he? No prob. Soon this thing will be up, over and gone!" Jeered Sonic quietly.

Sonia shook her head as she had just finished taking a quick peek at the interior. "Easier said than done Sonic. There's too many Swat Bots inside for any distraction to work."

"Chill, we'll find a way. Otherwise my name ain't Sonic the Hedgehog!"

 **Sometime later…..**

"ZADROKA CORE IS IN PLACE, DR. ROBOTNIK."

The crazed dictator himself sat in a chair similar to the one from his War Room in the Command Centre, watching as Swat Bots around him completed some construction work.

"Eggsellent Unit 3956. It won't take long before the other floors have been completed and transported to Robotropolis ready for the final stage of preparation of _Operation: Miracle_!" Boomed Robotnik, wearing a red shirt with a yellow ring design on the front much akin to his previous body's attire.

As the Dictator swivelled back while twirling his moustache to staring at some monitors temporarily put in the Core Room until a new office or War Room could be built for him, a Swat Bot Hover Tank made its way in, apparently for maintenance.

Hover Tanks were slightly smaller versions of the Hover Unit Vehicles that patrolled the city. Except these were more land based and rarely flew like their counterparts. While armed with laser cannons connected to special arm like pieces, they were not designed for heavy combat as they used more resources and were therefore expensive to build.

Of course Robotnik didn't have any concern over money, as he controlled pretty much everything in the country, but his minerals and metals were not unlimited, and he could only afford to use a certain amount. So the Hover Tanks were reduced to mundane tasks such as occasional patrols in factories, or maintaining the electricity in the Command Centre. Now they would be doing the same job for the new base once the former Castle Acorn was finally retired to being the City's Core.

Robotnik had also recently released Sleet and Dingo from being his main lackeys, with Sleet becoming the leader of the Elite Robian Fighter Squad and certain other forces in Robotnik's Empire, and Dingo being roboticised and joining the ERFS. But this left Robotnik without someone to monitor the city for him or to watch his Empire grow at his side and commend him.

Badniks were the only minions he had to a few times to do such tasks, but most Badniks were stationed at Never Island, waiting for _Operation: Miracle_ to begin. To sort this out, the Scientist set his spare time to design and build a Badnik for himself as a Pet of types. He had not completed just yet, but it would still please the megalomaniac in quiet times.

The 56 year old Dictator grunted to himself silently, not noticing that the Hover Tank was doing something near the Core. And then a wire was suddenly pulled, triggering a small alarm on the temporary monitors.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP…

"Unit 3956! Check what's wrong with the Core!" Ordered the Fat Man.

Obeying instantly, the Swat Bot marched towards the core, with the Hover Tank mysteriously backing away.

"MINOR SABOTAGE DETECTED, USING HEAT SENSORS TO SCAN FOR INTRUDERS…."

Shining a scan beam across the room, the Swat Bot detected something non-robotic that wasn't even an Overlander like its Master.

"ALERT ALERT. ORGANIC LIFEFORM DETECTED. FREEDOM FIGHTER INSIDE HOVER TANK!" Reported the Swat Bot.

"The Hedgehog!" Snarled Robotnik, pressing a button on his War Chair. "ATTENTION ALL SWAT BOTS! Code Red Alert! Freedom Fighters aboard. Repeat, Freedom Fighters aboard! Pursue and attack!"

With the Swat Bot in the room with Robotnik approaching the Hover Tank, Sonic popped out from the cockpit that normally hosted a computer with AI.

"Hey Robuttnik! When's the next party on? I'm in the mood to kick more Swat Bots and Badniks about! Could ya arrange that for me?"

Snarling in his Chair with a slight flick of his Yellow Cape, Robotnik did not even try to defend himself with a Laser Blaster, instead letting Swat Bots come in the room and attempt to handle the job for him.

"Have fun joking, you miserable Rodent, it won't do you any good. We have you and your petty rebels now!" Growled the Dictator.

"I don't think so Egg-Breath! We'll bring your new Base down!" Grinned Sonic, mocking his arch-nemesis even in the heart of battle, as he leaped out of the Hover Tank.

STOMP STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.

"Woah!" Cried Sonic, noticing the amount of Swat Bots around him. "Then again, there's always next time. Catch ya later, Fatso!"

And with that one quick insult, the Blue Blur sped off, knocking Swat Bots aside as he zoomed through the main corridor and out onto the construction platform.

"SONIC! WHAT WENT WRONG?" Asked Metallix, who was waiting outside.

"Guess!" Said Sonic motioned towards Hover Units flying about, firing lasers at Sonia, who was also coming out from the main corridor but from another entrance.

"Sonic! Mecha! They've got Heat Sensors! We gotta get out of here!" Called Sonia, running towards an unused Hover Vehicle.

"AGREED!" Buzzed Beta in his electronically assembled posh British Accent, having removed the Robian Voice setting on his voice chip very quickly.

Leaping into the same Hover Unit, the two comrades egged on Sonia to hurry and start up the engines, before the ship finally took off and zoomed away from the construction site.

"Bingo! Adios Swat Bots!" Jeered Sonic, thinking they'd made a quick and perfect escape.

They were wrong.

RATATATATATATATAT!

"Woah! Cut it out, bozos! I'm trying to escape here!" Blurted out the Hedgehog, desperately attempting avoiding incoming fire by hammering at the controls.

"SURRENDER FREEDOM FIGHTERS, AND PREPARE TO LOSE ALL HOPE BEFORE ROBOTICISATION IN THE NAME OF DR. IVO ROBOTNIK!" Boomed the Swat Bot voice from one of the pursuing Hover Units.

Beta, holding onto the back of one of the passenger seats, as there was only two, noticed Sonic shaking his head in annoyance and determination.

Even though the Hedgehog was busy trying NOT to get caught, nobody in the stolen Hover Unit had really had time to think of how they'd get captured. But they were aware it would be something bad.

Either they'd get shot down and forced to crash and run for their lives or they'd be blown to bits and be reduced to smoking remains on the hard cold dirty streets of the city.

SWOOSH! Sonic and Sonia were both sweating at the adrenaline rush increasing rapidly; their blood pressure could get unbearable over time as they swooped across Robotropolis like this!

Beta on the other hand was more bothered about the fact that he was getting a robotic form of altitude sickness from all the constant swerving up and down and left right, scrambling the machine's computer brain circuits into a dizzy mess, possibly sparking at a few key wires keeping the programming intact and unaltered by unintentional damage.

"M-M-MAN! This thing's got extreme acceleration! I think I'm about to throw up!" Gulped Sonic, clutching his throat as he ironically got strained from the way the Hover Unit sped up.

"Urgh…..Sonic! I thought you could handle this thing!" Moaned Sonia, very stressed from the experience.

"No biggie sis! No biggie! I've got this all under contr-"

As can be expected, the Hedgehog's cockiness can get the best of him, especially when his ego distracts him and causes their escape plan to muck up on occasions such as now!

KRRABOM!

The impact may leave things to be desired from the expertise of the Swat Bot's aiming skills, but it has a decent effect on the passengers of the pursued craft; Sonic feels as if he's pulled a really fragile muscle and rubs the strains on his head, Sonia is shocked at the state her fancy hair has been ruined into and Metallix Beta's head sparks momentarily as his digital eyes flicker from red to multiple colours in a malfunctioning fashion, paining his computer brain and robotic limbs quite badly.

Recovering from this is also not easy, for Sonic opens his eyes to see the world spinning 360 degrees, motion sickness plaguing the Blue Blur and his comrades constantly as control regain was the only other thing they could think about.

The controls are also not as simple as the Freedom Fighters had hoped; there was no control stick to manoeuvre the direction of flight as Sonic had previously found out on a mission, the throttle in the middle was only for altitude and rather than increasing speed and it wasn't clear what switch controlled the Turbo Burners, so the Hedgehog picked a random and hoped for the best!

Despite the two Mobians' annoyance at the tight pull the Seat Belts had on their chests, they were at least comfortable in their seats. But the less said about Beta's discomfort on holding onto the back of the seat with only his grip and strength of his feet to rely on, the better.

"OH SO IT'S HARD NOW, HEDGEHOG? WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN?" Growled Beta, talking sarcastically.

"Chill Mecha! I got the juice! We'll be free of these bozos in no time! Let's haul some serious hunch!" Boasted the former Prince, still a bit too sure of himself.

But these quips were simply a waste of time, and Sonia and Beta both knew this.

BOM!

And since Sonic wastes his time joking, it should not be a surprise that a collision is imminent!

And so motion sickness increases thanks to swerves, spins and heavy bops once again showing the occasional incompetence of Sonic and his cocky nature.

"Ouch!" Cries all Freedom Fighters aboard, one of whom accidentally lands on a button marked; 'OPEN HATCH'.

Now gravity has become Beta's enemy as he flaps like a flag, still hanging onto the top of Sonia's seat, his grip slowly slipping by the minute….

"URRRRGH!" The Metallix robot cannot hold on any longer. The speed of the vehicle and the pressure of air flowing through the hatch combined with his not very strong metallic fingers finally force the poor robot to lose his precious grip and tumble out towards the hatch.

"MECHA!" The robot hears the voice of his comrade fading slowly as he plummets to the ground of Robotropolis.

CRASH!

Metallix Beta may be a mere machine, but he could still feel pain from inside his metallic shell; his core shook violently as a few wires within severed and sparked while his joints were scratched and dented before tumbling off a building and into a Junkyard of old scrap and dirt, ruining the polished metal paint on the robot's face and chest.

Unfortunately the ordeal had knocked out the primary power ignition in robot, forcing an unexpected shutdown in the computer brain, while the Auto-Repair systems would hopefully kick in and fix the deadly damage.

Being a robot, Beta was lucky to not be spotted by any Swat Bots on patrol, who likely would have captured him to be taken for interrogation with Robotnik as roboticising a robot caused an explosion from the Roboticiser, just as Robotnik had discovered some time ago.*

Time would pass for at least 2 hours, with no sign of Sonic and Sonia, who had either decided to search for Beta, who would be assumed MIA (Missing in Action), or they'd been forced to return to Resistance Headquarters until it was safe enough to search for him.

Eventually, the robot's core received enough repairs to function in low power mode, with the Computer Brain attempting to recover memory files throughout Beta's existence, with many phrases spoken by the intelligent automaton repeating at low volume through the built in speakers behind the mouthpiece that formed the so called 'Voice Projector'.

"AFFIRMATIVE. THIS UNIT'S ONLY INTENTION IS TO DESTROY DR. ROBOTNIK. ROBOTNIK: ENEMY. ELIMINATE. ELIMINATE!"

"PREPARE FOR DESTRUCTION, DR. ROBOTNIK. I HAVE THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS ON MY SIDE TO DEFEAT YOU."

" .POWER CIRCUITS FAILURE."

"YES. MY NAME IS METALLIX BETA. IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU, CHARLES HEDGEHOG."

"QUERY: WHY DO YOU WISH FOR THIS UNIT TO REFER TO ITSELF BY ITS NAME AND OTHER NOUNS?"

"ALEENA? NAME IS….SATISFACTORY. DO YOU AGREE CHARLES?"

"ALEENA! DO NOT PLAY WITH YOUR BROTHER'S EQUIPMENT!"

"YOU'VE GOT A CHECKMATE AGAIN, CHARLES. I'LL NEVER BE AS GOOD AS YOU!"

"THANK YOU CHARLES, YOUR GENEROSITY IS MUCH APPRECIATED. YOU MAKE A GOOD SERVANT TO THE KING!"

"UNBELIEAVABLE! YOU THINK THE TENSIONS WILL INCREASE DRAMITCALLY WITH THE OVERLANDERS?"

"WAR? HAS IT INDEED COME TO THIS?"

"SIRE, I PLEDGE MY SERVICES TO YOU. I AM FOREVER TO BE THE FAITHFUL SERVANT OF KING MAXIMILIAN ACORN. I MAY BE A MACHINE, BUT I WISH TO JOIN YOUR FORCE TO FIGHT THE OVERLANDER MENACE. PLEASE SIRE, I WISH TO BE OF GREAT USE."

"GOOD NEWS! MY TRAINING IS COMPLETE! I CAN FINALLY HEAD BACK TO MOBOLAND AND BE AT THE FRONT LINES WITH CHARLES, WHO ARRIVES AT THE SAME TIME AS ME."

"THE MURKY ATMOSPHERE TERRFIES ME CHARLES. PLEASE DO NOT ABANDON ME…."

"PLEASE….PLEASE…..SAVE US….GENERAL…WE DO NOT WANT TO PERISH…"

"I-I-I-I N-N-NEVER BELIEVED I WOULD MEET THE FACE OF DEATH SO CLOSE. I DO NOT CARE IF AM JUST A MACHINE. I HAVE SEEN DEATH, AND….I NEVER WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN…."

"CURSE THIS WAR. CURSE THE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION. THIS ISN'T ADVENTURE OR BRAVERY, THIS IS SLAUGHTER! I VOWED TO SERVE THE KING AND MOBOLAND, BUT I DID NOT VOW TO ENGAGE IN EVIL MASS-MURDER!"

"M-M-MY L-L-EEGG! CHARLES…DO SOMETHING! I WILL LOSE POWER SOON…."

"HOW MUCH MORE MISERY MUST I FACE? A SHELL HAS ALREADY MADE ITS MARK UPON ME, AS DO ALL WEAPONS OF MASS TERROR AND BLAZES I HAVE WITNESSED IN THIS WAR….IT MUST END..LET IT END ALREADY….SAVE US….."

"ARGHHHHH! MY CIRCUITS ARE FREEZING! CURSE THIS TERRIBLE SNOW STORM!"

"ALEENA, I'M CALLING TO SAY I HAVE RECOVERED. I'LL BE RETURNING TO OPREAU SOON, PLEASE SEND MY REGARDS TO KING MAX. CHARLES AND I MISS YOU DEARLY…."

"THE THREE OF US SHALL GO OUT FIRST. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FOLLOW. JUST KEEP US COVERED AS SOON AS WE HAVE ENTERED THE WRECKAGE. GOOD LUCK SOLDIER."

"THE SUFFERING IS OVER AT LAST….BUT I SENSE AN ANOMALY. SOMETHING IS WRONG."

"CHARLES, IF YOU ARE OUT THERE, I WILL FIND YOU. ROBOTNIK SHALL NOT MENACE MOBIUS FOREVER!"

"FEAR NOT, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK! FOR YOU SHALL NOW KNOW THAT IT WAS I! THE GREAT METALLIX BETA, WHO DESTROYED YOUR PIPELINE!"

"GOOD LUCK HEDGEHOG. MAY YOUR SPEED AND COURAGE GUIDE YOU TO FREEING MOBIUS!"

More and more quotes from the robot's past would keep echoing and overlapping as Beta would slowly but surely regain his lost power.

PRIMARY POWER RESTORATION….SUCCESS! AUTO-REPAIR SYSTEMS SHUTTING DOWN…..

And so Metallix Beta awakened from his low power mode, rummaging his way out of the scrap pile, toppling to the ground, trying to regain full control of his limbs.

'URRGHH..NEVER ASK ME TO FLY IN A HOVER UNIT AGAIN…" Mumbled the robot, before noticing he was all alone.

Silence would fill more desolate streets of Robotropolis as Beta quietly wandered aimlessly about, not knowing where about he was in the city; he'd only ever memorised it when it was still Mobotropolis, as streets could be distinguished. But not now, for every street seemed identical due to the dark and cold colour scheme.

However, this didn't mean nothing could happen right round the corner of one street…

The Machine soon found himself facing a short and lit building at a dead end, with sound proof walls preventing most of the sound within from coming outside. A sign that looked as if it had once shone brightly in the city read: MAD GEAR CLUB.

According to intelligence, any Robian low on power energy would go here to re-fuel by drinking Oil. It was essentially a Robian Pub of sorts, but with very little chatter as the emotions and personalities of the Mobians who once were had been stripped, presumably encased in a firewall created by a programming software that Robotnik designed to control the Robian bodies.

Beta had never been to it, but decided that perhaps he could sneak inside and grab some oil to drink, as no Robian ever had to pay money to order an Oil Can.

Luckily for him, a black cloak had been abandoned by someone, hanging on a post near an ancient looking warehouse, much like the one which housed the entrance to Resistance Headquarters. One similarity that the Warehouse to RHQ's Entrance had was leftover propaganda posters from the days of the Great War. Famous examples included: MOBIUS NEEDS YOU! as well as the one that read THIS IS INFERNIAK. DON'T LIKE HIM? THEN HELP US DESTROY HIM AND THE OVERLANDER THREAT! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? BECOME A SOLDIER!"

As Metallix slapped on the cloak, he tried turning a blind (digital) eye to a separate feature: a drawn image of the Robotnik Empire's logo with the text below: ROBOTNIK IS WATCHING YOU! ALWAYS!

Then he thought perhaps hiding in the shadows until the Club's door opened would be better, so he backed into the warehouse for a while.

But something had caught his undivided attention. A lone Robian was heard running from another street, with much to Beta's surprise and confusion: a look of fear!

A few more Robians wearing ERFS uniforms came from the same street, appearing to be in pursuit of the apparently emotion capable Robian.

Cautiously keeping his distance while throwing up his hood, with only the glowing red eyes from his face hinting at his robotic nature, Beta watched carefully.

Suddenly, one of the pursuing Robian Fighters pulled a rifle from its back, and aimed straight at the unfortunate emotional Robian!

BANG!

Beta could not bear to see the impact as he covered his digital eyes hurriedly, only hearing a faint but horrifying electrical cry of terror and pain, mostly covered up by the heavy sparking of energy tearing through the metal like an inferno tornado.

A few seconds passed before the robot took a quick peak; the Robian Fighters were picking up the destroyed Robian, wrapping it up in a cloth. Afterwards, they quickly dragged it into the Mad Gear Club.

Now a million questions plagued the curious Metallix's mind; Why was the Robian shot? Was Robotnik even cruel to punish his own roboticised minions like this? And why was the ERFS put on the job to eliminate this supposedly rogue Robian? There was too much uncertainty in the air, so the logical conclusion would be to investigate. Returning to Sonic and Sonia could wait some time.

 **Later….In the Club…..**

The intelligence reports had obviously been written by those who hadn't even set foot in the Club recently. It was nothing like the descriptions that had been given, as everything had changed since Robotnik's reformation of his Empire and conquest of parts of Roboland that stood against him.

Beta ignored the amount of Robians disgustingly showering their mechanical faces in oil, with only half of it seeming to pass through their mouthpieces and into their internal energy systems.

But soon he stood waiting for the Robian Fighters to emerge from a room they had just entered, presumably to hide away the destroyed 'rogue' Robian.

Eventually, he was able to be in electrical earshot of their droning voices by overhearing them before they came out.

"THIS IS 4TH TIME AN INCIDENT SUCH AS THIS HAS OCCURRED. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE MORE FAILED TEST SUBJECTS; OTHERWISE THE SCHEME SHALL BE COMPRIMISED!" One spoke.

Failed Test Subject? What did that mean?

"AGREED. THE GENERAL SPECIFICALLY STATED THAT THE PROCESS READINGS MUST BE CHECKED AT ALL TIMES OTHERWISE OUR NUMBERS SHALL BE SMALL." Returned another Robian.

General? Were they referring to a leader within the ERFS?

"NO TEST SUBJECT MUST REGAIN 100% FREE WILL AS OUR PREVIOUS TEST UNFORTUNATELY CAUSED. THE ALTERATIONS TO THE PROGRAMMING NEED TO BE REVISED SLIGHTLY, ACCORDING TO THE GENERAL'S ORDERS."

"THEN WHERE IS THE FINAL FAILED TEST SUBJECT?"

"FORTUNATELY IT IS STILL REPORTED TO BE IN AGRON. IT HAS BEEN HIDING OUT SOMEWHERE IN THE CAPITAL CITY FOR AT LEAST 3 WEEKS. WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO LOCATE IT."

Agron? Was Robotnik even doing anything there?

"THEN WE SHALL PROCEED TO REDEZVOUS BACK AT AGRON. THEN WE REPORT BACK TO BASE TO CONTINUE THE OPERATION."

"AFFIRMATIVE. ROBOTNIK SHALL KNOW NOTHING THANKS TO OUR SECRETIVE WAYS."

Beta soon slumped down on a random stool in the main Bar while the Robian Fighters wandered out of the Club, seeming to leave the body behind.

What was all that talk about regaining free will? And why 100% specifically? These were now his primary concerns.

But only momentarily he spotted the tattered remains of another old poster through the doorway, of which he could barely make out the faint words of 'Juicing Cool Club'.

Wait. Of course! Juicing Cool Club! That was the original name for the club before Robotnik took over!

As more memories flashed within his computer brain of sitting in a stool next to Charles Hedgehog (Sonic's Uncle) and some other Mobian friends he had made during the so called 'Golden Era of Mobotropolis'. How he missed those days showed how much he'd taught about life and that his drone-like and robotic movements were alienating and needed to be retired, which they were.

Even the stating of 'THIS UNIT,' was stopped by the robot who was blocking it from his vocabulary. But now and then it would occasionally be blurt out perhaps due to some minor error in the computer brain.

But Beta quickly shook his head to himself. There was no time for reminiscing.

Oddly enough, the storage room in the back where the Robians stood earlier still had the body of the supposedly free-willed Robian lying on a table, with an identity card including some 'associate contact details' written in it.

The mechanical hedgehog stared at the Identity Card, and discovered one of the contact details was for a Robian that was usually stationed in the capital city of the Asian Mobian Country, Agron.

"SO THAT'S WHY THEY'RE HEADING TO AGRON. TO HUNT DOWN THIS PARTICULAR ROBIAN. BUT WHY EXACTLY?" Thought Beta.

But his attention returned to the destroyed Robian, as the robot was still very much concerned for it.

A terrifying look of horror was all that lay upon the metal soul's expression, as Beta slowly approached it and pulled the cloth off it.

The Metallix's voice had been lowered in volume dramatically, as the somewhat poor quality analogue sound of whisper uttered from its internal speakers behind the rusted mouth-piece; " _Normally I wouldn't talk to dead robots, but any Robian is far more than a robot."_

Calmly with a sympathetic tone, the robot sat down on the table, twisting his mechanical head to look over his shoulder at the Robian.

" _You didn't deserve this fate, poor chap. No Robian does. If what your former comrades were saying is correct, then you must have felt overjoyed to have your free will back. If I were in your position, the feeling would be the same. I pity you…._ " Sighed Metallix Beta, looking back at the identity card briefly.

" _Fighter Unit 7593 is not a good name to die by. It makes you wonder about all those other Robians. They walk in the streets, either as Elite Fighters or mere Factory Workers. But does anybody recognise most of them? The majority remain anonymous, as do you. I know not how many Mobian souls were roboticised during the Coup."_ Muttered the Robot, rambling quietly in deep thought.

" _It is purely another case of Robotnik's treachery. He is no better than Lord Inferniak ever was. In fact, some would say he is worse. How many unnamed Mobians were captured and relieved of their freedom? As far as I could guess, close to the body count of the unfortunate souls departing the surface of Mobius forever, for at least 4 years in a row. And all that was over a decade ago._ " Rumbled Beta, furious at the mere thought of the subject.

It didn't even help that nobody would reply to him, for while he was used to explaining in detail various things to other Freedom Fighters, he was now alone. Alone as he had been for countless days once upon a time. This was why joining the Resistance was a breath of fresh air. This was why even meeting the two nephews and the single niece of his long lost best friend was a joy. Being alone can make some cold and empty.

Not being one to waste time, the robot made his farewell to the unnamed Robian that would rest in this room for who knows how long.

" _Rest in peace. Freedom is yours at last."_

And so the mechanical hedgehog threw back up his dark hood, encased once again in darkness of his cloak disguise, setting out to solve a much polarising mystery…..

 **Sometime later, elsewhere in Robotropolis…**

The Docks are not the safest place to wonder around.

Most interestingly, the geography of Roboland revealed a detail that during wartime almost became the biggest downfall for the Kingdom of Acorn; the capital city stood at the edge of the country.

But due to a combination of bad weather and extremely well defended coastlines, Mobotropolis (back in the day) survived invasion from the back.

But now the metallic floor lays rusted with not a glance of shine emerging from what was once mere Sand. Truly, the Destroyer had mechanically-terraformed the city to immense degrees.

Swat Bots stood guard, mindlessly watching as Robians and Trooper Badniks boarded different boats to either go on patrol during the night for any Freedom Fighters, or to travel to other countries in Mobius, either for invasion or other activities that were very well kept in secrecy.

The latter was precisely what Metallix Beta intended to find out; even it meant taking him to the edge of Mobius itself.

He'd carefully boarded a seemingly deserted patrol boat, but he soon found he had unfriendly company as he lurked in the shadows, doing his best to tone down the brightness of his digital red eyes.

Much to somewhat of his luck, a few of the same Elite Robian Fighters he'd seen earlier had come on board. And so they set sail at last, for the time being not noticing their Freedom Fighter stowaway hiding behind the walls to a cabin.

As the hours passed painfully, the robot was very keen not to be discovered.

While he could just turn off his systems for a while and hope for the best, the bopping up and down motion of the boat crossing the sea would cause too much noise on his end.

" _We can't be too far."_ He murmured.

He didn't have a map of Mobius on him. Nor did he have it memorised.

" _Don't creak on me, you daft thing…"_ Silently came the groan.

Wooden floorboards. Not always the most durable.

" _I sure wish I didn't weigh so much."_

Toxic Air. Not everyone can ignore it.

" _I hate pollu-C-C-mph! N-n-n-o….Mustn't cough. Not a sound."_

Quiet as a mouse? Not quite. The others aren't for sure.

" _Huff..Huff…_ "

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

Mechanical breath plus footsteps? That ain't reassuring.

" _Go away….Not now…._ "

Condensation? Must be the work of nervousness. And the cold.

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

" _Not one more step. Please no._ "

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

Dare to look up? No. Not with danger lurking within reach.

Clomp. Clomp.

Shadow of danger.

" _Not….One…..More….Step…._ "

CLOMP.

Only the ocean shuffles for now.

"…"

It's motionless still.

"… _._ "

The Shadow pans 180 degrees.

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

Relief.

" _Huff Huff. How much longer?_ "

The invisible clock ticks for hours once more.

"LAND SIGHTED! INCREASE SPEED AND HEAD FOR PORT!"

" _At last._ "

Time for a peer. No, just a little peak.

"ETA 5 MINUTES. SQUAD REPORT TO DECK."

The morning has risen. But the light defeats the hide of darkness.

" _I might have to make a move sometime soon…._ "

The advantage is gone.

"INTRUZER! HALT! ATTACK!"

" _Uh oh."_

The Robians, speaking in their own self-developed language that sounded like mechanical gibberish (despite a few nuggets of English thrown in) had spotted Beta, who'd already begun to leap over to the other side of the deck, frantically trying to escape.

Luckily, since this was a fairly medium-sized patrol boat, it wasn't long till he could reach the end, only to dive into the Mobian Sea, plummeting below as H2O filled the sleeves and gaps throughout his cloak, and his metal structure was soaked immensely upon the initial splash and afterwards.

"CRRRRRR….WATERPROOF SYSTEMS ENABLED. 5 MINUTE TIME LIMIT TO REACH LAND."

Even an alternate dimension Robotnik would never be able to create Mobian sized permanently waterproof robots without the right design. And Beta was not one of those robots.

Nevertheless, he remained under water, landing on some rocks stacked high above the sea bed.

As nearly 4 minutes passed, the robot hurriedly attempted to swim, hoping the cloak wasn't going to take his already large weight and send him further down.

The breaststroke manoeuvre was all he could rely on, before at last he reached the shore of Agron, the land of the Asian Mobian society.

 **Soon, 15 hours later….**

 _You are currently entering the Japanese Mobian Sector of the country. Please be aware of its laws and customs while you enjoy your stay!_ Read the translated writing on a gigantic sign that hung above a large and busy motorway that was in its prime during the night, as it was now.

Metallix Beta sat in the back of Taxi, doing his best to try and translate other Japanese words around him as his Driver looked nervously at him for a brief moment. Obviously having a robot in the country was not common.

During the past couple of hours, Beta had tried to track down the mysterious group of ERFs but came to no avail, and decided that perhaps tracking the contact that had been listed in the Identity Card of the Robian would be his best choice for now. Then he made his way into a clothes shop and imagined that if Sonia had accompanied him, she would have gone crazy with what she saw inside. Although all he did was get a smart suit with a grey blazer and dull black tie, which was oddly given to him for free by a nervous shopkeeper, even though he was only looking for potential disguises he might want to use once he'd found some Agronian Money.

As he sighed, the Taxi passed through another large street, very different from the style he had seen in the so called 'neutral' sector that lay at the main coast.

For a Mobian Country, Agron was very unique compared to Roboland, Downunda and even North Island (The British Mobian country). It had adopted many Overlander ideas, including the splitting of the country between sectors for different Asian Mobians.

However, like Downunda's government, the Agronian leaders did not want to be involved with Doctor Robotnik and his operations, as they too feared another Great War may break out if they take action.

This was probably the reason many were either nervous towards or turning a blind eye to robots wandering about. It was likely Robotnik would attempt to invade, as his plans did seem to point to world domination beyond just Roboland.

But that was not important right now. All Beta had come here to do was to find out why some Robians had come all the way here and what their reason for destroying one of their own was.

Using his glowing red digital eyes, the robot tried to keep a stern expression, cautious to whether anyone in Agron even trusted the Resistance at all.

"Your stop, sir." Spoke the Driver, opening the back door with a button near the steering wheel.

"THANK YOU." He replied, leaning out and slowly shutting the door behind him as he approached the large hotel in front of him. This was where he should find the Robian Fighter that presumably had free will, just like the other one did.

But things were not as the robot had expected.

No staff were present in the reception, for while the lights were clearly on, not one Mobian stood in sight.

As suspicions and worries were raised, he trotted silently up some fancy golden stairs before reaching the first floor, where the room he was looking for was supposed be, according to the Identity Card.

Room No. 19 was stationed at the left far-end of the corridor, only a few metres away from the next staircase and lift that lead to the second floor.

The mechanical hedgehog marched with caution up to the rather old and creaky door, wondering if the Robian didn't even care which room it would stay in, but hesitated to open; his concerns were taking priority.

What if the Robian was not alone in the room? Perhaps the Elite Fighters had turned up earlier and taken him out.

Despite being unsure of what situation would come before him, the robot breached the hesitation and grasped the iron handle, pulling the door tight to break the lock (hoping he wouldn't be in trouble for vandalising).

The hinges gave in after a few moments once Beta made the smart idea of instead using a small pin in his new grey blazer to pick at the lock, successfully opening it and the aged door without any damage.

"LOOKS LIKE LEARNING SOME OF MANIC'S LOCK-PICKING TECHNIQUES WAS A GOOD IDEA AFTER ALL!" Said the Robot, before stepping into the room.

His suspicions before weren't exactly correct, but he was certainly thinking along useful lines; a staff member was lying on the floor, unconscious and obviously beaten in the back somewhat painfully by his attackers.

As for the Robian itself, it was nowhere to be seen. That was true, until the noise of an engine from outside roared within proximity of Beta's audio sensors.

Instantly he rushed towards the wide open window showing the back garden, spotting a purple weasel who was twirling shining silver in his left paw, revolver standing outside next to the very same Robian he'd been looking for, except it was on the grass and looking lifeless!

The Weasel gave a nasty chuckle, adjusting a brown cowboy hat resting atop his head several times just as another Robian approached him, and spoke something in Robianese.

"Oi! Cut the Robey chatter and speak some darn English for once!" Growled the Weasel in an accent clearly that of a Downundian, dusting off his revolver.

"SILENCE! AND WHAT WAS WITH ZE DELAY, YOU FUELISH WEASEL?" Retorted back the Robian in the odd choice of a French Mobian accent, clearly not impressed.

It was a strange sight for Beta to see any sign of emotion on a Robian's face. This was the second time!

"Ah whatever. I've got my own concerns to worry about. Ya haven't forgotten about my money, have you?" Grinned the fanged Mobian, with sharp looking teeth.

"ZE BOSS IS ZE THE ONE YOU SHOULD BE TALKING TO ABOUT ZAT, MONSIEUR." Grunted back the Robian Fighter.

"And that's the first thing I'll be doing when we return to base!" Yawned the Weasel, slipping the revolver into slot in a brown belt he wore around his hip.

"THEN GET A MOVE ON, AND MOVE ZE BODY INTO ZE CAR, LAZY _BELETTE!"_ **

The Weasel sighed and obeyed the order reluctantly, not really caring about what the Robians wanted to achieve, as long he received mercenary payment from their leader.

But while a group of shadow-shot-black automobiles departed into the busyness of the Agronian Motorway, not one passenger, not even any of the drivers looking through their rear-view mirrors, noticed a tall and rusted blue mechanical hedgehog hop onto the back of one car, holding onto a spare tire connected to the boot.

 **Sometime later….**

"WHAT IS GOING OUT ZERE? ZAT FOG SHOULD ZERE! AND NOW ZE OTHER CARS HAVE STOPPED!" Demanded one of the Robian Fighters driving the group of cars, as the window wipers came into view across the windscreen.

A large fog had confused the traffic, grinding practically every car in sight to a halt!

Then some angry Agronians came out on the road, with one walking up to a nearby Security Booth to complain to a Road Monitor Technician that helped to watch over the traffic of New Tokyo, the capital city of Japanese sector of Agron.

As Beta hopped off the back of the car, wondering if he could take advantage of this situation, he could barely make out the exact words the complaining Agronian was saying in Japanese.

"What is the meaning of this? This fog is not natural! My van has broken down and now we're stuck here! Explain this please!" The Citizen demanded.

But the reply from the figure inside the booth was not the one expected; "THE EXPLANATION IS THAT YOU'RE UNDER ARREST, CITIZEN OF AGRON!"

Suddenly, bursting out from the fog in large numbers were Troopers! They carried huge packs of laser machine guns, firing warning shots to scare the poor Mobians around them as others attempted to catch a few citizens running away!

"TROOPERS! THIS IS JUST WHAT WE NEED! GET OUT AND DESTROY ALL OF ZEM!" Growled one of the Robian Drivers.

Upon hearing this, Beta quickly dived out of sight into the fog so that Robian Fighters did not see him, but he still turned his head around to find himself at gunpoint with a Trooper!

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, ROBIAN?" Demanded the Military Badnik with a rather gruff electronic voice.

"LOOK WHO'S CALLING NAMES!" Returned Metallix, smashing the Badnik through the chest with a tight and strong swing of a sonic punch.

Other Troopers heard the impact, and rushed in to investigate the scene.

"WHA-TRAITOR!" Growled one unleashing an electric whip from its back.

Beta did not get the chance to react as the other Trooper made an elbow punch of its own, sending the robot crashing into a car.

"GARRGH! IT'S TIME LIKE THIS I MISS SONIC…"Murmured the Mechanical Hedgehog.

Next he dived headfirst at the Trooper, pushing off the car to increase the force of his impact.

The Trooper tried desperately to counter-attack, but found its head ripped off!

"OH D-d-skkkttt….." Sparked the decapitated Trooper head, before it was suddenly sliced in half by the Trooper with the electric whip, who had been aiming for Beta.

"THAT'S NO WAY TO TREAT YOUR COMRADE, BADNIK!" Criticised Beta, leaping out of the way with a jokey tone from his voice.

The Trooper furiously lashed at the robot with the whip, slashing with incredible hand coordination that even ripped a few cars around the pair apart!

"MY! MY! ROBOTNIK'S CERTAINLY OUTDONE HIMSELF WITH YOU BADNIKS, HASN'T HE?" Boomed Beta, somewhat impressed by the Trooper's skills, as he did his best to dodge every slash aimed at him.

"KEEP STILL, YOU TRAITOROUS ROBIAN!" Growled the metallic-fanged Badnik.

"CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR, PAL! I MAY NOT BE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, BUT I'LL STILL SHOW YOU WHO'S BOSS!" Jeered Beta, narrowly dodging another swing of the whip.

Beta of course was correct about this; he did not have all of Sonic's abilities, with the exception of the Sonic Punch that even the Blue Blur was more of an expert at (seeing as he invented the move in the first place!).

Nevertheless, the mechanical hedgehog jumped as high as he could, stretching his robotic limbs' strength to their limit as he bounced off the Trooper's head, making it dazed and confused.

"WHERE DID HE G-"

CRRAAAASSSHHH!

Beta returned to throw a truly professional punch at the Trooper in mid-air, yelling triumphantly at it; "A ONE!"

"AND A TWO!" Growled the Metallix, going all-out in impact with a second blow-out punch!

The Trooper's visual systems suffered fatal errors as it lost sight of its opponent, maddeningly throwing the electric whip in all directions before it heard one last sentence; "NOW FOR THE GRAND FINALE!"

KRADOOM!

The third Sonic Punch completely obliterated the Trooper, with its chest piece bursting into flames before the rest of the unit sizzled and crackled till nothing but rubble lay on the road before Beta, who panted electronically to regain his strength from the battle.

"PHEW! I THINK I'LL NEED MORE PRACTICE AT THIS…NEXT TIME I SEE SONIC, I'LL ASK FOR ANOTHER SESSION OR SOMETHING…." Murmured the robot, walking back to the area where he'd last seen the Robian Fighters.

So Robotnik was indeed planning to invade Agron! But what of the Robian Fighters? They didn't seem pleased to see Troopers around!

Then, without warning, a Trooper head came flying out from the midst of the Fog, with sounds of machine guns firing in the distance.

RATATATATATATATATAT!

Using his built-in sensors, Beta realised there was silhouettes of Robians coming from the other side of the fog, with several flashes appearing at the same time of the firing!

It seemed that the Robian Fighters were indeed betraying Robotnik; the Troopers had been obliterated!

"ZERE MUST BE NO MORE DELAYS. ZE GENERAL NEEDS ALL ZE TIME HE CAN GET! NOW MOVE! IMMÉDIATEMENT!" Ordered one of the Robians, slotting a laser machine gun into a slot on its belt.

Soon, the roboticised Mobians left the still panic-filled foggy motorway, suspecting nothing unusual….

 **Sometime later, in an abandoned sector of New Tokyo…..**

Almost complete silence filled the pitch-black darkness of the night time in this lone rocky terrain, for the only the shuffling of multiple footsteps could remove some of the sense of isolation that one might feel here, if they were not mindless robots.

But manoeuvring before the large skyscraper sat in this construction area were anything but mindless robots.

Robians made their march, as their car drivers quickly slammed shut the doors, ready to follow their comrades into their hideout and finally begin their important operation.

As per obvious, they were not ordinary Robians. They may have fought brutally against their enemies, but they did not share the same aggression that stereotypical Robians were known for; hissing and growling violently, at least not as much.

In fact, at this moment, the comrades chattered rather casually in rather satisfied tones of their self-developed language called Robianese, which Robotnik knew nothing of currently.

Yet this was an example this group of particular Robians' defining traits. They were independent, they only obeyed commands if they wanted to, and it seemed they could think for themselves to a certain extent. Had they had broken through Robotnik's control?

However, one thing wasn't what some might expect of them at first glance, for they weren't Freedom Fighters.

As they passingly entered a lift in the building, ready to take them deep down into a lower floor, one of the Robians noticed their comrade, whom had been one of the drivers earlier, wasn't talking to anyone.

Confused, the Robian tried asking his comrade a question. There was no direct reply, just a slight nod.

He asked again, no reaction whatsoever.

The Robian's suspicions rose, just before he lifted off the black fedora that cast a shadow upon its wearer's face.

"OH DEAR!" Boomed a reaction at last, surprising the other Robians; their comrade wasn't the robot they saw standing amongst them, it was a spy!

Without warning, the unwelcome robot, dived forwards to avoid being attacked from behind, almost tripping over as he landed on the hard stone platform above some stairs.

The enormous 'secret bottom floor' was in fact an underground train station, once used for mining before being abandoned, and now the railway automobile beeped with its doors shutting to mark its departure. And the robot did not appear to want it to leave without him!

Fortunately for the Robians, the imposter was not very fast and clearly made of aged metal, so catching up was of little difficulty.

The imposter then immediately made another dive, this time toward a window on the train, hoping luck would be on his side….Before a stun laser electrocuted him in the back, causing him to fall flat on his face, shutting down his systems for the time being.

The Robians were about to pick the infiltrator up before one of them sounded a whistle, informing the train's computer brain to slow down the vehicle.

The Robian stepped closer to the stunned robot, examining its face as it was turned over.

"ATTENDEZ! ZIS ROBOT LOOKS FAMILIAR….AH OUI, IT EEZ A MEMBER OF ZE ROBOLAND RESISTANCE! HE EEZ HIGH ON ROBOTNIK'S WANTED LIST. IN ZAT CASE, TAKE HIM ABOARD ZE TRAIN. ZE GENERAL WILL WANT TO MEET HIM!"

"I'll gladly take it to him." Spoke a Weasel, coming down the stairs with a nasty grin on his face. "I think this job could be the best one I've had for a while….."

 **END OF EPISODE 12.**

* * *

 _REFERENCES_

*See _"New Echidna in Town"_

** Belette is French for Weasel.


	13. The Robian Resistance Part 2

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 _ **Sonic Underground: The Continuation**_

 _ **Season 3 Episode 13: The Robian Resistance (Part 2)**_

 _KZZZTTT…..WE ARE NOT SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOUR CURRENT BROADCAST WITH A MESSAGE FROM YOUR RIGHTFUL AND SOON TO BE GLORIOUS DICTATOR, DR. ROBOTNIK._

" _Citizens of Mobius! I, The Supreme Doctor Ivan "Ivo" Robotnik of The Almighty Robotnik Empire of Roboland speak before you with a vital warning to you all. Your so called 'freedom' from my rule cannot escape my grasp! Mark my words, every living being on Planet Mobius suffer under my control! I already rule 75% of the world with my glorious Empire, so don't think those of you who are 'fortunate' to have your own independent government will remain the same forever! At my disposal I possess an entire army of Trooper Badniks, ready to invade those who foolishly attempt to evade me. NO MORE! I promise you, Planet Mobius, that in 50 years' time, you shall_ _ALL_ _be celebrating the anniversary of my complete and total annihilation of ALL FREEDOM in the world! The continuation of my tyranny, that is. AGRON, YOU ARE NEXT!"_

 _KZZZZZT…AGRONIAN NEWS STATION HERE. WE'RE TERRIBLY SORRY ABOUT THAT PIRATE BROADCAST HERE, IT FINALLY SEEMS TO HAVE SHUT DOWN AND WE WILL RESUME OUR CURRENT SCHEDULE AT ONCE. ERM, YES AND ENJOY!"_

 **Night time, in New Tokyo, capital city of the Japanese sector of Agron.**

As a small TV monitor on board the fast running underground Mine Train flickered and continued showing the regular Agronian programs, it remained the only noise amongst the mostly silent inner cabins, which were filled to the brim with cold, shivering and afraid Mobians from all over Mobius.

None of them really wanted to be here, it just so happened to be the case that they'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and ended up here as a result of that.

While the majority were older than 15, some were actually mere children, who weren't used to this sort of thing at all. It was scary in their position, to be caught in a situation where it looks like you have no choice in the outcome. Only the perpetrators that forced them to be here can be responsible for that.

What most certainly didn't help was the fact that their kidnappers were once just like them; flesh and blood, caring and kind plus certainly not frighteningly intimidating up close.

Who were these dangerous foes up ahead?

Why, Robians of course. And now one of their latest prisoners had been thrown aboard this locomotive to meet some eerie fate; Metallix Beta, robotic hedgehog and member of the Roboland Resistance, who had got himself into quite a pickle.

Once he'd booted up again, the first thing that happened to him was that he discovered he was sitting down on a very uncomfortable seat, which he would have much preferred to be like the ones used in Underground Metropolitan Trains.

Next to him were of course more prisoners. Their only reaction to him was an occasional glance of interest but nothing more.

At least he wasn't alone.

As time would pass painfully, leaving more and more worries about what was going on back in Roboland with his comrades; the robot began to fear the worst for himself.

Sooner or later, they arrived at one of many underground stations, according to a map of the old Agronian Mines that remained pinned to the rocky face of the cave on a billboard, which looked as if it hadn't been touched for over 20 years.

The Robians that patrolled the gigantic caves and mineshafts were all wearing fancy military uniforms of so different Mobian Countries, which Beta had trouble keeping count of how many variations of uniforms there were. Things like this were all he could do to briefly keep his mind off the danger ahead.

Despite the fact that this particular group of Robians were free from the vile Dictator's control, they weren't very friendly when ordering the prisoners to move quickly. Constant growls, hisses and yells in Robianese painted them in a very strict and monstrous tone.

Now Beta's current hypothesis was that while they were not slaves to the influence of the Roboticisation Programming, it still managed to warp their behaviour and movements in extremely violent ways.

"It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What sort of sad living being would have the insanity to enslave almost a whole population, take away everything that makes them who they are, and then turn them into aggressive beasts that know no mercy?" Spoke a single prisoner, standing right in front of Beta, noticing that the machine was staring at the roboticised beings surrounding them.

"ONLY ONE WHO IS EVIL BEYOND ALL COMPREHENSION. ONE WHO ENJOYS THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS. THAT WHOM WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO REMOVE ALL OPPOSITION TOWARDS ITSELF. A WRETCHED AND HEARTLESS CREATURE WITH NO CONSIDERATION FOR ANYONE WHO IS NOT THEM. JUST THEIR MISERY. THAT IS DR. ROBOTNIK."

Then queue of prisoners kept moving further down the rather steep mineshafts, with only rickety old wooden steps to manoeuvre on.

Eventually they would make their way into a larger cave, which this time looked much more like a Robotnik Empire base, with robotic walls and computers all around.

Most disturbing of all was the sudden appearance of Roboticisers plastered in rows across the bottom floor of the room!

But these were not ordinary Roboticisers; they'd been tampered with and now served the uses of their Robian Operators.

And it didn't seem Beta was going to them, interestingly. A Robian guard grabbed him by the arm, checking that his hands were properly chained together, and then dragged the confused mechanical hedgehog into a lift, having him at gunpoint in case any false move was made.

They would emerge in a long corridor with poor quality lights being compensated by some bright electronic screens.

A long and dusty red carpet lay before them, leading straight up to a chair very akin to Robotnik's War Chair.

"MOVE FORWARDS, SPY. ZE GENERAL WILL SEE YOU NOW." Growled the Guard, shoving the robot forwards with a painful kick in the back.

"OOWWF!" Beta landed quite uncomfortably, barely able to bend back up thanks to the wait of his chains binding his mechanical hands together.

Suddenly, he remained silent as his computer brain signalled his digital eyes to lay sight on a Robian that he would stare at in utter surprise.

"GÉNÉRAL?" He let out, with a tone of obedience and service that he'd not uttered for years.

"AUGMENTER." Commanded the Robian in French, motioning for Beta to stand up fully.

The mechanical hedgehog attempted a salute, straining his left hand to touch the side of his head, despite it being chained.

"GENERAL D'COOLETE, JE SUIS HONORÉ." Replied Beta politely, using his most accurate French Mobian accent, as he looked before the very Robian that had been his commanding officer many years ago.

"SILENCE, SOLDIER!" Roared the General. "ZE NAME IS NOT D'COOLETTE! ZAT MOBIAN IS DEAD! I AM GENERAL KRETIN OF ZE ROBIAN RENEGADISTS!"

Beta's initial respect for the General at this moment transformed into mere disgust; "YOU DISMISS YOUR OWN MOBIAN LIFE, ARMAND?! WHAT HAS ROBOTNIK DONE TO YOU?"

Kretin did not seem too disturbed by the question. "HE HAS ONLY GIVE US STRENGTH AND POWER, BUT NOT WITH ZE PURPOSE OF US CONTROLLING IT. ZE FUEL PREVENTED OUR GREAT AMBITIONS FUELLED BY OUR MINDS EVER SINCE WE WERE ROBOTICISED!" His metal moustache flapping up and down as he talked.

"WHAT GREAT AMBITIONS? YOU'RE FREE! WHY AREN'T YOU USING THAT FREEDOM TO FIGHT HIM?" Questioned Beta.

The General's digital eyes rolled across the black eye screens on his face.

"WE SHALL FIGHT HEEM. BUT WITH THE POWER OF OUR ROBIAN BODIES WE'LL BE BETTER THAN HEEM. WE'LL OVERTHROW ZE FUEL THEN TAKE CONTROL OF HIS EMPIRE! ZIS TIME I SHALL RULE HIS EMPIRE!" Growled the General.

"BUT GENERAL….WHY? WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR MORALS?!" Beta replied in disbelief.

"MORALS? ZERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AS 'MORALS'. JUST LIFE AND DEATH." Said Kretin, brushing away his former Soldier's remark.

"GENERAL ARMAND D'COOLETTE. YOU TAUGHT ME MANY THINGS THROUGHOUT THE WAR. DON'T YOU REMEMBER THAT DAY DURING THE 2ND BATTLE OF BLACKBURN? IN MOBOLAND? DIDN'T I QUESTION THE REASON EITHER SIDE HAD GONE TO WAR IN THE FIRST PLACE? I SAT DOWN AND REFUSED TO GO OUT ONTO THE BATTLEFIELD, UNTIL YOU CAME UP TO ME AND SHOUTED; 'PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER, FUELISH ROBOT! ZERE WILL BE PLENTY OF TIME TO WORRY ABOUT ZE THE REASON FOR ALL ZIS. I DO NOT LIKE EET EITHER. BUT I SHALL TELL YOU ZIS. IF LORD INFERNIAK KNOWS NOTHEENG OF MORAL RIGHTS, ZEN GET OUT ZERE AND SHOW HEEM ZAT WE PROMISE TO SHOW HEEM AND HIS ALLIES ZAT ZIS CARNAGE MUST END! BELIEVE IN ZE HUMANITY, ZERE EEZ A CHANCE ZAT THEY STILL HAVE EET IN THEM!'" Protested Beta, hoping that this little bit of memory he had of his commanding officer would convince him that his plans were pure madness. Just a bit of hope…

Then the reply arrived.

"ARMAND D'COOLETE EEZ DEAD. MORAL RIGHTS ARE IRRELEVANT. ROBOTNIK WILL FALL. WE ARE SUPERIOR. YOU ARE AN OBSTEECLE IN OUR WAY. GUARDS, DISPOSE OF HEEM." Droned Kretin, who seemed to have been drained of all emotion he once had.

While the guards dealt with a bit of resistance from the prisoner not wanting to leave the room yet, Beta was speechless.

It didn't matter whether the Robians had control over themselves. It mattered if the Mobian personality within could escape the boundaries of Robotnik's Programming. These so called 'Robian Renegadists' did not have free-will. They just gained the ability to decide to not want to serve Robotnik, nothing more.

 **Sometime later…..**

It was as if he'd never been taken to Kretin in the first place; Beta was back in the queue, with completely different Mobians behind and in front of him than there'd been when he was taken away.

A scary thought came to his mind; if he was being taken to the Roboticiser, what could they do with him? Didn't robots explode if affected by the Roboticisation process? Or maybe….Maybe they'd subject him to a painful programming rewrite, changing his entire computerised structure till he was a mere drone-like servant to Kretin, who'd likely want to use him in his revolution against Robotnik or something.

Though he highly doubted Kretin had any idea of making him some high authority battle leader. Probably just another disposable drone to achieve what the programming made the Robian do.

This didn't just apply to Kretin either, it applied to all of Robotnik's robotic minions, renegade or not.

And now it seemed he was going to be just like that. Not a pleasing concept in any shape or form.

"MOVE, PRISONER." Rasped the nearby Robian Guard, pointing a laser blaster in the robot's back.

When Beta did not move, out mere refusal and resistance, more Robian Guards approached and were forced into a struggle with the mechanical hedgehog, who desperately tried to escape their grasp.

"UUNGH!" Came a grunt of struggle, before the robot was shoved headfirst into a tube-like casing, obviously a part from older Roboticiser models.

And the moment he turned around to try and leave, he felt his computer brain being zapped from the inside thanks to a wired gizmo that magnetically seized his head in place, and brought a very big amount of electronic pain sizzling through the rusty machinery within.

"ARRRRRRGHHHHHHH!"

Clutching the head would do nothing to help ease his struggle unfortunately, as his strongest sense was only internal; the programming…..

 **Somewhere dark, and hidden within layers of digital code….**

"HUH? WHERE AM I? THIS DOESN'T COMPUTE AT ALL!"

Beta didn't understand the situation he believed he was in currently; one moment his mind was being reprogrammed by a modified Roboticiser, the next he suddenly finds himself in this strange place!

Moving in multiple directions with constant sways and sudden reversals, are endless lines of binary and all sorts of coded instructions, shaped almost like rainbows but moving like a swarm of fish that had been disrupted and unfortunately in a panic.

The code merely passes through the robot as he explores with deep concern, wondering if this was what it felt like for flesh beings to be ghosts, if such a supernatural concept was even a factual reality.

The exploration even reveals more of the mysterious location's features, as the Metallix was surprised to discover artificial screens hovering around him, which initially just showed flickering static, before switching to all too shockingly familiar scenes…

"ROBOTNIK SHALL FALL! LET THIS TYRANNY COME TO AND END AT ONCE! NO MORE WILL PLANET MOBIUS SUFFER HIS WRATH, THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS SHALL SEE TO THAT!" Roared a triumphant voice making a speech to a large number of Mobians on the screen, being looked through the point of view of a red-filtered digital eye-view.

Beta was astonished; "BUT…..THAT'S MY VOICE!"

Just then, however, the 'ground' he was standing on shook and cracked all over the place, and then levitated high up into space above as a large pile of debris gathered in the style of an asteroid field in orbit.

"I REALLY DON'T LIKE THE LOOK OF THIS! WHEREVER I AM, IT'S GOT SOMETHING TO DO WITH MY COMPUTER BRAIN!" Concluded the robot, attempting to maintain his balance in mid-air.

As if someone had heard, a reply zipped in, literally; a laser bolt scattered Beta and the section of the debris he had been placed on.

"OOOWWH! I HATE THESE SORTS OF SITUATIONS!"

Landing, the mechanical hedgehog kneeled down with his spikey fist clenched tight, ready to deliver a blow if necessary. "AND IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THAT WASN'T A TROOPER SHOOTING!"

"CORRECT, GOODIE-2-SHOES!" Boomed a very nasty and amplified voice before its owner dropped in, pointing a gigantic laser cannon.

"I DON'T KNOW WHO EXACTLY YOU ARE, MATE, BUT I DON'T THINK YOU'RE ON MY SIDE!" Growled Beta at the ready with his fists.

"YOU HAVE MORE TO WORRY ABOUT, FOOL! AS I PULVERISE YOUR CIRCUITS TILL I'M THE ONLY ONE LEFT!"

The stranger unleashed another blast, which this time received a steady dodge while Beta observed his opponent; it was a horrible looking fanged mechanical hedgehog that almost looked just like him, except deadlier!

If that wasn't bad enough, the demented 'doppelgänger' wasted no time in firing up some rocket feet to smash right at the robot's chest!

"GARRRGH!" Beta was sent flying once more, feeling more damaged than he had earlier with the Troopers. *

"TRULY PATHETIC! HOW CAN THIS BE THE GREAT METALLIX BETA, WHO HELPED IN THE REFORMATION OF THE ROBOLAND RESISTANCE?" Jeered the Imposter, clearly enjoying the fighting.

"LESS TALK MISTER, MORE ACTION PLEASE!" Retaliated Beta, grabbing a large piece of debris and tossing it straight at the enemy's head.

WH-ARRKKKKK!" The imposter did not expect to find himself sparking after such an attack! "TH-TH-THAT'S NO W-W-WAY T-T-TO TREAT YOURSELF!"

Himself? Of course! This wasn't Mobius where he thought he was; he hadn't left the underground mine in Agron, he just was getting an insight to his computer brain as it was being taken over! Plus, this strange copy of him likely represented what he would look like once somebody like Robotnik, or Kretin in this case would upgrade his olden parts to turn him into a true robotic soldier of destruction. Not on his watch!

"TOUGH!" Yelled back the robot, bouncing off more debris as he climbed higher and higher into the endless space of the coding.

"YOU THINK GAINING HEIGHT WILL SAVE YOU? POOR JUDGEMENT, PRIVATE BETA! KRETIN WOULD BE VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU!" Scowled the Copy, before sending a wave of wireframe missiles upwards in the hope of slowing Beta down.

Unfortunately, one of them did, and the mechanical hedgehog crashed down close to his equal thanks to the impact.

"OOOFF…NOT GOING TO GIVE IN….." Groaned the injured robot.

The doppelgänger merely laughed; TOO BAD! BECAUSE I GOT A JOB TO DO, AND THAT'S TO WIPE YOUR FLIMSY LITTLE SYPMATHETIC MIND!"

 **Far away from Agron, in the nearly completed Egg Fortress…..**

In Robotropolis, Dr. Robotnik was very excited indeed.

"FINALLY! After so much work and supply transfers, my new Egg Fortress is complete Soon I'll teach those Agronians a lesson!" Boasted the scientist, banging his fist on the desk of his brand new office.

"Trooper! How goes the invasion plan?" The Dictator asked one of his Badnik guards.

The Trooper made a quick salute and blink. _"ALL IN GOOD PROGRESS SIR. IT IS SCHUEDULED TO BEGIN IN APPROXIMATELY 6 HOURS. THOUGH ONE OF OUR TEST ATTACKS WAS DISRUPTED BY SOME ROBIANS EARLIER!"_

"WHAT?" Shouted back the Dictator, leaning sloppily with his fat body at the Trooper's skull-like face which flinched in surprise at the immediate glow of his master's red eyes "You mean to inform me that past reports of rebellion from some Robians were true?"

The Badnik nodded. " _AFFIRMATIVE SIR. THAT IS THE SBS' CURRENT THEORY ON THE MATTER, AND WE HAVE DECIDED THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION WE DO AT THE MOMENT IS CEASE ALL ERFS OPERATIONS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE FROM YOU, GREAT ONE."_

The fat man sighed, before opening a mechanical cupboard with his finger print to retrieve a familiar pair of spiked shoulder pads for him to wear. These were of course from his old dictator uniform when he had first conquered the majority of Mobius. "Very well then. I shall have to ponder on that other situation for a moment. What other news do you have for me?"

" _JUST ONE, YOUR LARDINESS. YOUR NEW CHIEF SCIENTIST HAS ARRIVED."_

"EGGS-SELLENT! Send him in at once!" Commanded Robotnik, fitting on the shoulder pads tightly.

Swivelling around, the Trooper quickly tapped a button on the controls to the door next to him. _"AS YOU COMMAND, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK."_

And with that, electronic whirs and buzzes were heard as behind the automatic blast door emerged a tall but slimy Mobian cyborg of a deadly species indeed; a Komodo dragon!

The scientist grinned in delight of this sight of his new master, while carefully adjusting the collar of his greyish lab coat with mechanical arms and hands salvaged from various Badniks.

"Approach, my servant!" Called out the vile Doctor, pleased to meet his new associate.

The Komodo dragon obeyed and marched with careful precision to his leader, bowing gracefully at the fat man.

" _Greetings, my Lord and Dictator! I am Komanz, your one and only most loyal lackey, who vows to serve you ever so faithfully for the rest of his life! Let your vile rule exist for all eternity!"_

 **Back in the Agronian Mine…**

"KRRRRRRRRRRRRR…HARGHARGHGARRRRRG!"

Things were getting even worse now for Beta, as his mind was losing the internal duel between his own programming and the virus attempting to install itself into the brain and completely take over it!

And now it seemed hopeless against the digital manifestation of what Beta could very well become in the future.

"NICE TRY FOOL, BUT YOU CANNOT BEAT YOUR SUPERIOR SELF!" Rasped the Virus Beta, whacking the weaker Metallix Beta into a pile of floating debris, which the robot barely managed to grab onto the ledge before he could fall down into the digital abyss!

"WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT! I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT STRENGTH ISN'T EVERYTHING!" Returned Beta, trying to keep his confidence up as much as possible, despite the uneven odds.

"OH REALLY?" Jeered the Virus, flicking its mechanical fingers. "LET'S PUT THAT TO THE TEST, SHALL WE?"

With that sudden threat, appeared in a circular formation some wireframe Overlanders with powerful artillery cannons, which fired almost immediately!

"GRRRRAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-KRRRRRRR! " Echoed the mix of electronic growling and yelping as the excruciating pain of the impact bursting several holes into his body. Or at least what felt like it since his mind was only imagining this.

"NO…..NOT THIS….KR-COUGH-KR-COUGH…." He coughed, trying not to remember what the Overlanders and cannons reminded him of. **

"BRINGS BACK BAD MEMORIES, DOESN'T IT? WELL SOON YOU WON'T REMEMBER IT ALL! SAY GOODBYE TO FREEDOM!" Taunted the Virus Beta, leaping towards its target with a sparking hand of data.

Simultaneously, as Beta in real life struggled inside the mind capsule and clutched his head, he still felt himself in his computer brain being strangled by the Virus with it slowly spreading itself into the deepest corners of the very programming that made him who he was.

How on Mobius could he break free of such a terrible ordeal like this?!

"RAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-!"

….

But then it just stopped. No warning, no build-up. It was over.

….

" _Charge men! All on the offensive! Let's give them a piece of our mind!"_

" _Roger that Sir! Freedom to Mobius! Nobody tries to enslave our minds! NOBODY!"_

"Hands up fellas! I ain't going down without a fight!"

" _Oh bother! It's the Bounty Hunter again, Fang the Sniper!"_

" _That ol' Weasel? Of all the times!"_

" _Calm down and get after him! Everyone else, free the prisoners! This may be our only chance of getting a shot at Kretin later on!"_

" _Sir! The Power's been cut! Their minds have been freed!"_

" _Roger that. I've got one of the prisoners, looks to be in a bad state and-"_

" _And what Sir?"_

" _I-I-I don't believe it…..Can it really be him?!"_

" _Who? Is it Sonic the Hedgehog?"_

" _No…..Someone far older than that. I think we've found our key to victory, fellas. ALL SOLDIERS! Return to Base! I repeat, return to Base!"_

" _We've hit the jackpot lads! This is exactly what the Bossman mentioned in his briefing!"_

" _Good job Sir! I'm afraid the Weasel got away though."_

" _No problem. Just make sure he ain't tailing us, we should be a-okay once we're back at Base."_

" _Roger. Let's do this!"_

As all of these events passed by, Metallix Beta remained in low-power mode, unable to hear what was going on around him.

He was lucky to be in what seemed to be safe hands, as the last thing registered in his memory banks was the sudden shutdown of the virus that almost flooded his mind.

" _Darn it! The engine's dead! We're on our own boys."_ Came a groaning electronic mutter a few hours after Beta had been taken far away from the Agronian Mine.

" _We'll have to take the long route. I'm afraid that means splitting up, if we're going to survive the journey back. The wastelands' conditions are getting even worse…."_

 **In the skies above Robotropolis…..**

"The first battalions are ready, Master! Agron shall be yours in no time!"

Komanz, despite only just having become Robotnik's new chief scientist, was already hard at work preparing the Doctor's massive invasion force for a 'sweep' conquest of Agron that would begin in a few hours.

And now he had just put the finishing touches to a more advanced prototype of a new generation of Trooper Badniks; with tougher build, better accuracy in movements and overall a much improved computer brain.

"Good! And you do not cease to amaze me already with this Badnik, Komanz! I see my decision to appoint you to my side was not a mistake!" Grinned the Fat man, peering over his long shoulder pads. "You'll be rewarded very soon, my loyal servant."

Komanz was flattered. "Much a-a-a-p-preciated Master. But serving you is all the reward I need!"

"Then you shall do me further good! Or rather, evil….Heh….Heh…." Chuckled the vile Dictator. "But enough talk! Arm the other battalions! Once I have total control of those puny Agronians, Operation: Miracle will proceed as planned, and finally eliminate that bothersome Hedgehog! HA HA HA HA!"

 **A few hours later, deep in the outskirts of an Agronian Sector….**

" _Come on buddy, we can make it…Not too far to go. I hope…"_

Beta's unexpected rescuers had split up as planned, and one of them remained with Beta, carry the ancient robot across the grey desert-like wasteland.

" _The Bossman can't wait to meet you, mate. He only mentioned you a few times. An old friend, he said. Someone who'd know what to do during the impossible moments. I mean, not grand and powerful like Sonic the Hedgehog, but y'know, someone with the right experience just like the Boss. Two heads are better than one, right?"_

No reply stuttered or even mumbled out of the mechanical hedgehog's voice projector. The low-power mode was doing its' work yet again to keep the robot in good condition for later.

But as the two figures crossed the grey desert, nothing could prepare them for the shock that came before them.

The Impact was truly incredible! It felt like the ground had erupted like a volcano and blasted dirt and rock high up into the air before scattering it all into a black void of nothingness.

KBAM!

" _Oh my goodness! Buddy, I think the big round guy's on his way! We better leg it!"_

Meanwhile, one of the other groups of mysterious figures that had rescued Beta were in a real sticky situation indeed.

" _Heads up lads! Trooper Tanks approaching!"_ Yelled the leader of the squad, pulling out a laser rifle.

The Troopers were astonished; "I DON'T BELIEVE IT! OUR MASTER'S WARNING WAS CORRECT, ROBIANS HAVE BETRAYED US!"

Another Trooper seated in a Tank agreed; "THEN WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? ATTACK THEM!"

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATBOOOOM!

The following battle was pure madness! Laser blasts and Machine Gun firing echoing across the desolate area, with more and more uprooting explosions landing in multiple directions as grey sand sprayed across the screens of the robots and their opponents. Not even Freedom Fighters had gotten into a fight this violent and chaotic.

KBAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

" _Watch out boys! Their reinforcements have arrived!"_ Pointed out one of the figures, noticing more Tanks were approaching.

Luckily for them though, the figure with Metallix was close by, and had actually noticed the silhouettes of the Tanks that were almost covered by an explosion of grey sand spreading about.

" _That must be the others! But I can't go in alone…..Wait, of course! I've got Private Beta with me!"_ He exclaimed, dropping the robot from his shoulder before leaning down next to it, shaking the body frantically.

" _Wake up mate! We need your help! WAKE UP!"_ Came the plea for help. Could Beta even hear him, and manage to reboot back into full working order in time?

 **Not too far from Agron, inside an enormous Battle Cruiser…**

How could the day get any more tedious for a Badnik now? After a mere failure to defeat Sonic at South Island, why did you have to be reduced to sanitation duty?

"THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE WORST JOB WE'VE EVER DONE….WHY THE COMMAND SHIP? WHY NOT ROBOTNIK'S PERSONAL SHUTTLE INSTEAD? I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" Groaned a Crabmeat, using its claws to handle a broom that clearly wasn't meant for a robot of its size.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. AT LEAST YOU HAVEN'T BEEN MELTED DOWN. THAT'S THE WORST PUNISHMENT A BADNIK CAN GET." Replied a Burrowbot, also cleaning the floor of the Battle Cruiser to make it extra shiny.

"I KNOW, BUT EVEN THEN I'D HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF BEING TURNED INTO TROOPER OR A SWAT BOT FOR THAT MATTER. MAYBE MY MEMORY CHIPS WOULD SURVIVE!" Sighed Crabmeat.

Burrowbot shook its head. "I HIGHLY DOUBT IT. ALTHOUGH I DON'T REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF BEING A SOLDIER BADNIK TO BE HONEST. SONIC LEAVES THEM LYING AS SCRAP METAL AS FAR AS I HAVE SEEN WHEN THEY'RE IN ACTION."

Though Crabmeat was eager to slack off and continue a conversation with Burrowbot, who at the moment was the only company he had during such boring work, a nearby Trooper stomped towards them, not pleased with what it had overheard.

"OI, NO CHATTER! DR. ROBOTNIK DOES NOT PAY HIS MIDGET BADNIKS LIKE YOU TO TALK! NOW GET ON WITH THE CLEANING!" It ordered in a gruff electronic voice.

Standing on a balcony, high above an enormous assortment of Troopers, each armed with Machine Guns and powerful blasters, was the vile Dictator himself, accompanied by Komanz.

"As you can see, Master, your Command Ship is in excellent condition, with countless Troopers at your disposal!" Jeered the Komodo Dragon, rubbing his cyborg hands together with a glint in his robotic eye.

"A worthy army indeed! Not even Sleet and Dingo can dream of ever accomplishing a feat this big! Not after they crushed my original Command Ship! I should have roboticised them on the spot!" Boomed Robotnik, remembering the failures of his previous lackeys. ***

Komanz scratched his head. "But sir, didn't you threaten them with Roboticisation many times befor-"

"SILENCE!" Yelled the Fat man. "You may have impressed me so far Komanz, but do not expect me to relieve you of the same punishments I gave those two fools, should you disappoint me! Understood?"

"Y-y-yess…..S-s-sirrrr…" Komanz answered, with a frightened hiss.

The Dictator then marched up to a lift, with his servant close behind, as they were taken up to the main cockpit.

As soon as the doors slid wide open, Robotnik walked over to the supplies cupboard and pulled out a pair of new boots, sliding them on as he felt the Trooper Pilots steer the ship in a new direction.

The vile Overlander had now for the first time in a while looked as menacing as he was remembered by others, now that he'd starting using some of his old attire again, even his body was nowhere near as fat as his original one had been before alterations made by the body chamber. ****

Then all of a sudden...

"GYARRRRGHHHHH!" Screamed Robotnik, his fingers widening as his arms and hands glowed a bright blue colour.

"M-m-master?" Yelped Komanz, jumping back in surprise.

"GArghhh…." Groaned Robotnik, staring at his right hand; it had turned robotic!

And without warning, the Overlander instantly made a strong swipe at his chief scientist, sending him crashing into the wall!

"Owoyow!" Cried the Komodo Dragon, with a nasty bump on his head.

"So it still works!" Commented Robotnik, grinning at his newly mechanical limbs. "I theorise that the De-Roboticisation effects on my arm were only a temporary side-affect from my transformation! But wait…..If they could be De-Roboticised…..Then what if those traitorous Robians have suffered from a similar affect to their computer brains?!"

As Komanz struggled to get up, he found his lab coat grabbed by his Master, who dragged him back into the lift.

"Come Komanz! Time for me to show to those who commit treason against my Empire shall suffer dearly for their insolence!"

 **Back in the Agronian Wasteland…..**

The mysterious 'other Robians' were not a good position whatsoever; they'd suffered too much damage and had been taken prisoner!

" _Darn it! Now what on Mobius are we going to do? I don't see a way out of this!"_ Groaned one of them, desperate for a solution.

While a solution of some sort was nearby, its participants were having troubles of their own.

" _Private Beta, mate. Don't go powered down on us, come on! My buddies are in trouble, but you can trust them! Please switch back on!"_ Pleaded the Robian to the twitching mechanical hedgehog.

"N-N-NAME?" Stuttered a few words from the Robot's mouthpiece.

" _Private Balthazar. And our squad leader is Private Alastair. Bit posh sounding names, aren't they? We blame the family traditions for that. I prefer the name Balthy', to be honest."_

"P-P-POCKET…." Returned the robot, barely managing to point his hand towards a pocket in his dirtied grey tuxedo.

" _Huh? What's inside it?"_ Said Balthazar, scratching his robotic head as he reached into the pocket.

Hoping to find some sort of weapon, the Robian found what Beta wanted, and pulled it out, only to find it was a chip of some sort.

" _WHAT!? A chip?! That's all you've got?! How's that going to help us?"_ Cried Balthazar, unimpressed at Beta.

"P-P-UTTTTT-O-ON-ON-O…AR-R-R-R-M…" Groaned the robot, ignoring the complaint as he groggily lifted up his left arm.

Sighing to himself, Balthazar slid the chip towards the arm, which magnetically attracted it instantly.

"BZZZZZZKKKTTTTT!" Burst out an electronic whir from the robot, before it leaned up in full power.

"AHHH…THANK YOU, MY DEAR FELLOW. GLAD I STILL HAD A MOBOLISATION CHIP ON ME." Beta thanked his new ally. "GOOD GRIEF! YOU'RE A ROBIAN? I THOUGHT THE ROBIANS HERE ALL WORKED FOR KRETIN?"

Balthazar shook his head, while checking his rifle was still loaded. " _Nah mate. We're not friends with that maniac in any way. He's almost as bad as 'Doc Botnik!"_

Beta looked firmly at Balthazar, who was a Robian Tiger, and was wearing a very familiar uniform over his robotic body.

"YOUR ACCENT, IT'S A NORTH ISLAND ONE, ISN'T IT?" Asked Beta.

" _Yeah buddy. Our whole squad is from good ol' North Island. But I'll have to explain it later. See that transport over there? That's a moving armoured base that's protected by Trooper Tanks. My friends have been captured by the Troopers and you're the only proper Freedom Fighter around who knows how to deal with them."_ Explained Balthazar, oddly not pausing due to his robotic voice chip being much more powerful than a Mobian's speaking ability.

Beta nodded, observing the scene using a built-in scanning feature in his eye-screen. "YOU'RE RIGHT. I RECKON THEY'RE GOING TO BE MELTED DOWN AS A FORM OF EXECUTION! WE'LL HAVE TO MOVE QUICKLY, OR THEY'LL BE TOAST!"

 **At the Armoured Base…..**

A cruel and murky storm had arisen the past few hours in the Agronian Wasteland, as Dr. Robotnik's forces continued bombardment of the coastline, soon to make a move and land Troopers and possibly Robian Soldiers for invasion, once they were all cleared after an obedience check.

And in the distance, lay bright orange flashes of inferno and debris from the ground erupting like a volcano with the most intensity ever seen on Mobius. It was not a good time to be living in the far villages of north eastern Agron.

Almost as if the theme of today was destruction in flames, a hot pool of bubbling molten liquid sizzled with a frightening hiss in front of many Badniks and captured Robian traitors, awaiting the upcoming event.

Marching up to a pedestal, was a SBS (Special Badnik Service) Commander who clutched the microphone as it lowered to a volume that would allow the robots in the base to hear its voice, but would not be so loud as to alert any potential Agronian Soldiers of their presence. It was a vital part in Robotnik's plan that the invasion would catch the Agronians off guard, partially thanks to the panicking state they were in after the warning Robotnik had sent them on a pirated broadcast.

With a slight electronic sneeze; "ACK-TCHOO!" The Trooper made a quick speech.

"ATTENTION SOLDIERS! TODAY WE ARE HERE WITH PRISONERS OF WAR, WHO I SAY ARE NOT, ROBOTICISED AGRONIAN SOLDIERS, BUT CLEAR TRAITORS TO THE GLORIOUS ROBOTNIK EMPIRE!"

Cheers of mocking and insults burst through speakers on the outside walls of the Base like crazy, as Badniks furiously called out the Robians for their actions and wanted their execution to be satisfying and worthy of Robotnik's evilness.

"YES!" Agreed the Commander. "THEY ARE ACCUSED OF TREASON, AND SHALL RECEIVE THE SUITABLE PUNISHMENT OUR MIGHTY LARDINESS COMMANDS. ALL HAIL ROBOTNIK!"

HAIL ROBOTNIK! HAIL THE DICTATOR OF MOBIUS! THE RIGHTFUL SAVIOUR OF CIVILISATION! DESTRUCTION TO TRAITORS! LET THEM SUFFER!" Jeered a crowd of Badniks, gathering up by a window in the control room of the base to watch the event occurring outside.

The SBS Commander quickly calmed down the commotion with a downwards signal made by his arm and hand.

"SETTLE DOWN, BADNIKS! BEFORE WE BEGIN, LET US ADDRESS OUR PRISONERS." The Badnik pointed at the Robian Squad Leader, Alastair. "ANY LAST WORDS, TRAITOR?"

Alastair and the other Robians stared up in disgust at their captors. " _Just this. If there's ever one thing Robotnik ever deserves, it's a taste of his own medicine! FREEDOM TO MOBIUS! DOWN WITH ROBOTNIK!"_

Cheering, the other Robians in the squad repeated after their leader, as the Badniks went into another uproar before the Trooper hurriedly slammed his fist loudly onto the pedestal.

"SILENCE! SILENCE! THROW THEM IN! BEGIN THE EXECUTION!"

Just then, as Alastair was shoved forwards, not really ready to jump into the molten liquid, he noticed something in the distance, and suddenly grinned at the notion he'd been given.

"JUMP IN TRAITOR." Barked the Trooper Guard behind him.

Alastair did not obey, and just whistled electronically to himself.

"I ORDER YOU TO JUMP! OBEY THE RULE OF ROBOTNIK!" Growled the Trooper with an intense robotic snarl.

Still, the Robian refused to comply.

"TRAITOR! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! JUMP OR I-"

Finally! After that bit of tense waiting, the Troopers were caught by surprise as the guard's chest exploded into flames after a loud bang from close by.

Seizing the opportunity, Alastair immediately leaped into action, grabbing the fallen Guard's laser rifle and showing his comrades that now was the time to attack!

"ARGHHH! NO STOP! LEAVE THEM! GET THE TWO SNIPERS IN-" Yelled the SBS Commander on the pedestal, not realising these were his last words at the hand of a point blank shot from Metallix Beta, holding an old 3220s rifle handed to him by Balthazar, who currently seemed to be outsmarting the Troopers with acrobatics and bangs in the head from the back of his rifle, not firing unless it was the only option available to finish them off quickly.

" _GO! GO! Show 'em who's boss around here!"_ Cheered Alastair, being the brave squad leader he was and taking on the Badniks and Troopers head-first.

Beta quickly made another careful move as a long range Sniper, getting as high as possible up the Armoured Base and firing at a Badnik trying to fire at them with a gun turret.

"W-HOAH!" Yipped electronically the mechanical hedgehog, ducking for cover before taking a very well-aimed shot at the Badnik, which didn't seem to have an organic battery like most did; instead fell a small black speck, the size of a seed.

Suddenly, at that moment, two Robians of the squad; Gallagher and Hadley yelled at once to " _MAKE A JUMP FOR IT LADS! IT'S GONNA BLOW!"_

Beta groaned at the thought of what was going to happen. "OOOWHH…..I HATE DIVING FOR COVER!"

Reluctantly, he eventually followed suite with the other Robians before stolen mines that had been placed on the extensions to the armoured base were literally blown off the face of Mobius! It was like a giant had punched them straight into orbit, ready for a nasty crash landing….

" _Incoming!"_ Warned Balthazar.

"OH GOLLY!" Poshly put Beta in an old fashioned British Mobian accent.

As the debris landed, amongst them came the wreckage of Badnik casings and electronics, which upon hitting the dull, grey sand strangely had a glowing flower blossom from yet another black seed-like speck that buried itself in the ground almost instantly.

And while this briefly caught their attention, it wasn't long until the same two Robians invited them up onto the base, which now had less weight to worry about, and no more molten liquid, which had thankfully dropped further away.

" _Move it! Move it!"_ Roared Alastair determined to make the best getaway possible.

"WATCH YOURSELVES, BOYS! I THINK YOUR LITTLE FIREWORK DISPLAY BROUGHT IN A FEW MOSQUITOES!" Cried Beta, as several Trooper Tanks began to close in from behind, driving up the slopes of grey sand that covered the whole desert outskirt.

Noticing the Tanks too, Alastair barked to his comrades; " _You heard the bot! Increase the throttle on this thing!"_

And just like that, the armoured base's wheels buzzed like saws through the sand, boosting pretty fast for a machine of its size across the terrain.

" _Wow, this thing really moves! The engine hasn't even reached the full capacity!"_ Gasped Hadley, surprised at the power of the armoured base.

" _They're still catching up! Do something!"_ Balthazar blurted out, turning to Beta for some assistance.

"WHO, ME? YOU'RE THE PLUCKY ATHELTIC ONES AROUND HERE, NOT ME!"

" _But you're a Freedom Fighter! You know the best strategy in this situation, right?"_ Pleaded the Robian.

"WHO DO YOU THINK I AM? SONIC THE HEDGEHOG?" Snapped the mechanical hedgehog, not very sure of his abilities.

While the bumpy terrain began to decrease the speed, it seemed certain after a while that the Tanks, despite only chasing them for the time being, would start firing as soon as possible, so Beta quickly noticed something had to be done.

" _Your choice, mate."_ Murmured Balthazar, carefully dashing to his comrades as they went lower down into the cockpits, with their recaptured guns ready to use against the Troopers and their mechanical monstrosities.

But then the robot stared ahead, mapping as much of the terrain ahead as the robotic eye can see, only to command to his new associates; "CHANGE DIRECTION TOWARDS THAT DOWNHILL SLOPE, THEN KEEP SWERVING. THAT'LL GIVE US MORE TIME."

Tarquin, the fifth and youngest member of the squad, while somewhat timid, obeyed the order from the robot almost immediately, seeing as the trust he was putting in him just like his comrades came from what their mysterious and unnamed friend had apparently told them.

" _Wait, they're taking the l-l-lower p-p-p-a-th…..They'll come at us from the side!"_ Gasped the Robian, frightened that the plan was no good.

"DON'T BE HASTY, JUST KEEP SWERVING! THERE'S GOT TO BE SOMETHING TO LET LOOSE ON THEM SOMEWHERE IN THIS JUNK PILE…." Replied the aged automation, pondering for the next step in the solution.

Peering down at the back of the top deck, he noticed a sealed hatch with a skull warning sign painted on. Could it be indicating mines or any other useful explosives?

"IT'S WORTH A TRY…." He hoped, looking for a safe way to reach it.

Unfortunately the hatch appeared to only be designed to be reached by one of the extension platforms they'd blown off to reduce weight on the base, so if he went down there, it would be quite hard to get back up…

"TARQUIN, IS THERE A BUTTON TO DROP THE MINES?" Questioned the robot, checking if there was no other way to let them loose.

Tarquin shook his head in disappointment as he wacked at the controls; " _No good. It's jammed!"_

"I'LL RISK IT THEN." Bravely decided Beta, somersaulting quickly onto a narrow ledge which his claw-like finger could barely clutch onto.

"UNNGH!" He gasped, slightly lifting himself up to see where he could move next.

" _Sir!"_ Called the Robian, tossing down a metal cane he'd found. " _Use this, it may open the hatch!"_

"THANKS…" The mechanical hedgehog swiped one of his hands forwards, slinging the top of the cane over his right shoulder before watching his step; he was a few meters above the saw-like wheels that brushed wave after wave of dirt and grey sand into the air.

RATATATATATATATAT!

The buzz of gunfire from Troopers seated behind the enormous turrets of the tanks whizzed too close for the robot's liking, as he knew whether or not he survived the actual bullets themselves, he'd still likely fall to his doom, so quickly and carefully would be the new tactic to employ.

"COME ON…COME ON…." The next small gap close to the hatch was too small to fit his foot on. What could he do?

Desperately he hung onto the ledge, his grip not entirely secure, he pondered briefly.

The metal cane….The end of it seemed to be small enough to fit through the gap, but even if he hung onto it, would it stay tightly in the gap?

RATATATATATATATAT!

Shoot! The Troopers were getting a clearer shot as the base goes downhill. What was Tarquin doing?

Nevertheless, with the most cautious grasp, the cane was slid off the shoulder and was banged in the direction of the gap that was connected to the exhaust ventilators a metre or two below.

CLANG! It was in, but not completely.

RATATAT! The amount of bullets soaring in his direction was again unsettling but he focused on the cane instead.

If he tried jumping and grabbing onto it now, it would probably not be able to hold his weight and he'd be done for.

This time, he employed another move; using his foot to bash the cane in place as if it were the world's toughest tent peg.

CLANG!

Hoping it hadn't been bent badly, he tried again, swishing his leg.

RATATATATAT!

"GAHHH!" An electronic scowl burst from Beta's internal speakers. His leg was grazed by some Trooper fire!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The tanks now went straight into the expected course of action by blasting the living daylights of their cannons at the base, which luckily was missed by the blasts thanks to Tarquin's constant swerving. But this made it even more of a chore for Beta to hold on for dear robotic life!

KRADOOOM!

"THE BLAZES!" Growled the robotic war veteran, annoyed as the Base momentarily was pushed sideways by the blast, before thankfully landing back into the correct position.

At least they were downhill now, so Beta had an easier chance of securing the cane.

BOM! BOM! BOM!

Much to the robot's relief, the roboticised North Island Soldiers defended their ally, now focusing their aim on the Troopers, who were surprised easily.

"NOW OR NEVER!" He proclaimed.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

….CLANG!...

The cane finally slotted into the gap firmly, leaving it safe for Beta to loosen his grip on the ledge behind him and leap with hands in front at the metal tool.

The grip was even trickier to keep, but he was finally closer to the hatch.

The final obstacle was getting to the safety bars that made sure the mines didn't fall sideways when they were released. The only solution was to swing towards it!

While acrobatics was not something he'd been an expert at, even during his army training long ago, he ignored these memories and pulled on the weight of his body to begin swinging.

Swoosh…Swoosh….

"ALRIGHT…ALRIGHT…THIS ISN'T A PLAYGROUND…JUST MOVE…." He muttered.

"YOW!" The next swing forwards was just about right; he bent forwards and had possession of grip on the closest safety bar.

Right. Now to open the hatch. Perhaps the cane would work best, just like using a crowbar on a locked door, right?

But it wouldn't budge. He'd knocked it into the gap too hard!

BANG! BANG! BOM! BOM! BOM!

Alastair and the others weren't having much luck either; the Tanks were still firing heavily at the sides of the armoured base, barely missing the wheels with gigantic blasts!

" _Hurry up Private Beta! If you've got a plan then make it work already!"_ Growled the Robian in a common North Islander's accent.

" _Oi Alastair! He's over there! I think he's trying to signal us!"_ Called Balthazar, who momentarily paused from trying to stop Gallagher and Hadley from trying to play a 'shooting score' game that they could never seem to stop babbling about.

" _I got 12!"_ Hadley yells.

" _16!"_ Roars Gallagher in excitement.

" _ENOUGH!"_ Balthazar moaned, waiting for his squad leader to reply while turning back to shout at the two troublemakers.

But Alastair seemed busy watching what Beta was doing; waving a hand and pointing to the cane and trying to mime some words that couldn't be made out.

"S-O-I-!-S-E-R-T-O-IT!" Came the muffled electronic voice of Beta, difficult to hear thanks to the noise of the base's vehicle engine and the constant firing from Troopers and their tanks.

" _What's that? I can't hear you!"_ Returned Alastair.

"SHO-E-Z-U-HA-CH-H-RE-Q-UI-KK!" Yelled back Beta pointing again at the cane.

" _Say again?"_ The Robian shook his head.

"T-H-E-C-C-C-C-C-C-NE-S-S-S-S-S-S-SHHHHHH-O-O-O-T-I-T-S-T-T-UCK!" The robot attempted to communicate once again, trying to extend the sound of his words.

" _The cane's stuck?"_

Metallix Beta nodded, still holding onto the safety bar, and then tried mimicking the hatch opening and the action of the mines coming out and exploding. Once more, he pointed to the cane and made a large bang movement onto it.

" _Alright! Alright! Hold your horses! I'll get it!"_ Growled the Robian, pulling his rifle onto his shoulder like a sniper and aimed at the metal cane.

BOM!

"W-W-OAH!" Despite the sudden impact of the shot, the robot had successfully grabbed the cane, before leaning over the safety bar and desperately slid the cane into the gap between the hatch, at last pulling it straight open.

"TARQUIN!" Boomed the mechanical hedgehog.

Since Tarquin was only a few metres above Beta, he seemed to hear him better and replied; " _What?!"_

"LAUNCH THE MINES!"

" _Roger that sir!"_ Sighed with relief Tarquin, slamming the button on the control panel labelled; 'UNLOAD EXPLOSIVES'.

The Troopers were so busy trying to shoot at Alastair and his squad that they didn't even notice the mines were in front of them, culminating in a titanic inferno of bright flashy colours coupled with oil and flaming debris lighting up the cloudy weather briefly!

Eventually though, came a fade to black with nothing but mere horrid smoke trailing behind the armoured base.

" _Whew! Good one sir!"_ Cheered Tarquin alongside his comrades, who climbed back up onto the main deck.

"YOU'RE WELCOME MY GOOD CHAPS. NOW COULD YOU STOP THIS THING FOR A BIT? I'D RATHER NOT BE LEFT HANGING IF YOU DON'T MIND." Chuckled Beta, exhausted after this experience.

 **A little later, back in a part of New Tokyo….**

After abandoning the Armoured Base in the Grey Desert, they'd found a good route back to New Tokyo, stationed in a disused hotel that looked as if it were due for demolition.

Despite that, this was apparently the Squad of North Islander Soldiers' secret hideout, where their strategic leader was living.

" _I know it's not very much, but its home, for now…"_ Hadley sighed, giving Beta a short tour of the area.

Outside the window Beta could see a long set of grass in a wide street that stretched very far into the horizon.

"THIS IS AN ODD LOCATION TO PUT A STREET. SOMETHING MUST HAVE HAPPENED HERE. A LONG TIME AGO." Observed the robot, noticing strange patterns in the ground.

" _Lots of holes there, ain't there? We haven't been able to ask the locals what they're from, but they aren't natural, that's for sure. Our Bossman will tell you though."_ Remarked Hadley, who then took Beta into another room.

As Alastair sat down in a rather crooked chair while his comrades all stood up with rifles slid on their shoulders in the classic military pose, he spoke softly despite the electronic buzz in his voice.

" _So, Mr. Private Metallix Beta. I realise that this may be quite overwhelming to you, but it's time you were filled in on what's going on here."_

The mechanical hedgehog's eyes flickered. "GO AHEAD, SOLDIER."

" _So our Bossman has been helping us to investigate General Kretin and his associates for a long time now, ever since we arrived here. To tell you the truth, we've actually disobeyed strict orders from our-erm. Our head Commander back in North Island, and look what it got us into!"_

"ROBOTICISATION. YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO'VE DONE SUCH A DANGEROUS THING. BUT IS IT TRUE THAT NORTH ISLAND DOESN'T WANT TO FIGHT ROBOTNIK EITHER?" Asked the bewildered Beta.

" _Yup, they're too scared as well. The situation here the Agronians are going through speaks for itself. But we're not standing down. My boys and I are the only Soldiers in North Island willing to make a difference! If we can't beat Robotnik then we most certainly will go down fighting!"_

"I SEE!" Replied Beta, somewhat amused. "YOU ARE QUITE A BRAVE BUNCH. BUT HOW DID YOU BR-?"

" _We'll explain that interesting memo later. We do believe Kretin is planning to launch a counter-invasion to stop Robotnik's own forces and then allow him to take control of the country instead, but you might be useful in helping us prevent that."_ Alastair answered calmly, picking up some oil in a tea mug to drink.

A frown appeared on Beta's face. "WHO TOLD YOU ABOUT ME ANYWAY? I WAS ALMOST SUPPOSED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS, EVEN WHEN I WAS A SOLDIER."

Alastair swivelled his head to look at his comrades for support, and turned back to Beta after they strangely nodded.

" _That's where our Bossman comes in. Tarquin, go get'im."_ Ordered the Robian, putting down the mug.

Tarquin saluted his squad leader, marched up to a creaky and ancient looking door at the other end of the room, and knocked firmly on it.

" _Excuse me sir, we're back from the mission, and we've brought with us a visitor who you've got to see. Are you able to come out?"_

Instead of a reply, several clicking sounds bounced into the robotic ears of those in the room, which seemed to be tight locks being fiddled with by a key.

Alastair cleared his electronic throat. " _Ah-h-ahem. Private Beta, meet our…erm…good friend and mentor."_

Ominously, a tall and gruff figure with a rusty yet well-structured robotic body emerged from the door, sprouting just like any other current generation Robian; a pair of glowing circular-shaped red eyes. He also had an enormous silver claw, presumably for construction and maintenance purposes.

But while this tall robot was intimidating with its mouth closed on first glance, it opened in a sudden jaw-dropping motion, as the figure stared at Beta with immense shock and surprise, just as Beta did too in the same way.

" _IMPOSSIBLE….."_ Breathed the figure, its metal moustache leaning upwards as a sign of its emotional state. It couldn't believe what it presently saw standing before it ever so bewildered.

Metallix Beta talked in awe at the same time as the figure. "C-C-CHARLES?!"

 **END OF EPISODE 13.**

* * *

 _REFERENCES_

* _See Part 1 for Beta's previous battle._

** _Beta fought in the Great War (Which started in 3219 and ended in 3224)_

*** See the classic episode: _**Getting to Know You**_ for Sleet and Dingo's use of Robotnik's Command Ship!

**** _Robotnik used a machine in_ _ **Robotnik's Revenge Part 1**_ _to change his physical appearance._


	14. The Robian Resistance Part 3

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 ** _Sonic Underground: The Continuation_**

 ** _Season 3 Episode 14: The Robian Resistance (Part 3)_**

 **Deep in New Tokyo, capital city of Agron…**

"C-C-CHARLES?!"

The room of an old and abandoned hotel, looking so bad that you'd wonder why it hadn't been knocked down, remained silent for a brief moment after Metallix Beta stood face to face with a familiar face he hadn't seen in 14 years.

And before the squad of roboticised North Island Soldiers knew it, the two robots before immediately lunged at each other into a welcoming embrace of emotional value, with a brotherly tone in their joyful laughing as they removed their arms from each other's shoulders.

" _METALLIX BETA! IT REALLY IS YOU! UNBELIAVABLE!"_ Grinned the tall and moustached robot, snapping his hand claw tightly.

"CHARLES HEDGEHOG, MY DEAR OLD FELLOW! I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SEE YOU AFTER SO LONG!" Returned the old mechanical hedgehog lifting up his left arm to shake hands with his old friend.

" _I COULD SAY THE SAME ABOUT YOU, OLD TIMER!"_ Charles smiled impressively, his metal moustache flapping up and down a little.

Beta merely chuckled at this remark, much to the amusement of Alastair and his comrades, who remained standing in formation carefully, to respect their superior.

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING! YOU'RE FAR MORE ANCIENT THAN I AM, MATE."

Charles sighed somewhat, deciding to take a seat in another chair, as did Beta.

" _THAT'S TRUE, MECHA OL' BOY. BUT WE MOST CERTAINLY HAVE A LOT OF CATCHING UP TO DO."_

Alastair cleared his throat.

" _Sorry sirs, but I'm afraid that will have to wait. We have a large situation on our hands._ "

" _AH. YES. RIGHT, I UNDERSTAND."_ Charles nodded. " _GO ON THEN. FILL ME IN WITH YOUR LATEST REPORT."_

But while Charles had begun to hear the tales of the Robians seated before him, Beta remained in awe and amazement.

Terrific! Having been upon a period of darkness and isolation, how could he expect to re-encounter Sir Charles Hedgehog, the Uncle of Sonic, and his best friend, whom he had long since departed from company with in the midst of civil destruction, believing him perished after the horrors of the dictator's imperative command gained its place in Mobius as the crusher of all Freedom?

Such a burden of relief and hope had laid itself upon the robot's shoulders, however; while his friend had returned, bringing him the emotion of joy that he missed dearly, he had also re-introduced the atrocities and sadness of the past, now lingering like a mighty tall clock-tower with a bell that rung endlessly to remind of the moments he wished to forget.

And what of duration? How long would this happiness last? Did positive emotions have no place in civil-war when the corrupt master of machines could blow it out like a mere flamed candle?

Beta shook his mechanical head. No, he would not pry to think of the negatives. Not yet. They could wait.

So despite his range of emotions sprung from the realisation that "Uncle Chuck", as Sonic had known him, was now in his presence, complete with a free mind, he was ready to do what had to be done; General Kretin had to be stopped.

Whatever way the Robian mastermind wanted to overthrow Robotnik with and possibly become a bigger threat than him, would not happen on his watch!

As soon as Beta stopped his strain of thought, Chuck swivelled his head with a brotherly smile with his robotic mouth and spoke; " _BETA, WE'VE GOT TO DO IT TO IT!"_

The mechanical hedgehog nodded. Oh how he missed hearing his friend say that to him….

 **Further away, in another part of Agron, completely taken over by Robotnik…**

Some would refuse to admit it, but Agron was pretty much lost by this point.

Dr. Robotnik's troops were unlike any force that the Army of Agron had ever faced in the past; automatons whose sole existence was to fight. Troopers carried such an enormous arsenal of weapons and defences that even a small army yet well organised with clever tactics could not defeat them.

And even a few members of the Elite Robian Fighter Squad had offered their services to the vile Dictator's invasion plans. And while they were emotionless, standing guard as the Troopers and other Badniks awaited the arrival of their leader, they paid no mind to the wrecked buildings and machinery lying around them.

Robotnik approaches. In his personal Jet, with loyal lackey Komanz at his side, the Overlander had no patience for delays on his end. He needed all of Agron's industries. His secret weapon for _Project: Miracle_ needed a specific Core to make it work. If he couldn't have it, the entire operation would be worthless. But he had other problems too; the Robian Renegadists.

The Trooper Badniks marched into position, mechanically swivelling their helmet-like heads up to watch the Hover Jet land with a hiss of white smoke sizzling from the exhaust fumes as the electrical engine switched off, allowing the hatchway to open. Revealed from the shadows and smoke, was Robotnik.

He too marched forwards. For the first time since December of 3224, he was wearing the very same military dictator uniform he had worn during the conquest of 70% of Mobius. With more of the Planet under his control as of 3237, currently, the 'free' countries were bound to see the obese Overlander tread upon their territory and mark a new expansion to his tyranny. Truly, this moment in Mobius' history would be remembered as "The Robotnik Age".

While Komanz coughs somewhat violently from the smoke, Robotnik pays no mind. He stares at the destruction caused by the fighting between his Troops and the Agronian Army, shaking his head in dismissal. First things first, deal with the President of Agron.

Much to his pleasure, he had heard earlier that the political leader of the country had been captured during a raid of the Agronian Parliament, something he had been unable to do since the invasion of Rotaka *, in 3225.

"THE ENEMY LEADER HAS BEEN CAPTURED, MASTER ROBOTNIK. THIS WAY, PLEASE." Instructed a Trooper, greeting its lord and master.

Robotnik did not speak, but left a vile grin on his battered looking face; he followed the Trooper up a half-wrecked building, where the electrical power struggled to be generated. Though there was enough for the lift to take them up to the very top.

And there sat the President of Agron; a wealthy yet old Hokkaido wolf in his late sixties. He wore a ripped smart suit that looked as damaged as the rest of him, all bruised and pained. He was quite inexperienced in commanding a defence of the country, unlike his predecessors before him. Much like other Mobian leaders around the Planet, he had easily fallen into Robotnik's grasp and been forced to surrender. And now, he was unconscious after being knocked out at the conclusion of his questioning. Now Robotnik would decide his fate.

"Well? What does this filth have for me? Any vital information you metal moronics managed to suck out him?" Growled the Dictator as Komanz brushed his mechanical arms beside his master.

One of the Troopers in the room shook its head. "NEGATIVE. APPROXIMATELY 84% OF THE DATA RECEIVED FROM THE AGRONIAN PRESIDENT IS ALREADY KNOWN. THE REMAINING 16% IS USELESS DATA. HE KNOWS NOTHING OF THE ROBIAN RENEGADISTS. HOWEVER, OUR SQUADS HAVE UNCOVERED SECURITY FOOTAGE OF ONE OF THE INITIAL AMBUSHES TWO HOURS AGO, AND HAVE DISCOVERED THIS ROGUE UNIT."

Robotnik snatched a small Robo-Pad from the Trooper's hand to examine the photo, noticing a familiar figure he had encountered years ago…

"But's that inconceivable!" Spat the Overlander throwing the Robo-Pad on the floor in an angry fit. "That fiendish coyote! He must be the one leading those rebellious Robians!"

"OUR SQUADS HAVE IDENTIFIED THE REGADIST LEADER AS GENERAL KRETIN, FORMERLY GENERAL ARMAND D'COOLETTE OF THE MOBOLANDIAN ARMY. THIS UNIT WAS CAPTURED AND ROBOTICISED IN 3225 FOR AIDING EARLY RESISTANCE AGAINST THE GLORIOUS ROBOTNIK EMPIRE. WAS ASSIGNED TO FACTORY WORK BEFORE BEING SELECTED FOR THE ELITE ROBIAN FIGHTER SQUAD IN 3236. ALL EXISTING DATA SUGGESTS THAT UNIT HAS BEEN MISSING FOR A FEW MONTHS UNTIL THE CURRENT SIGHTING TWO HOURS AGO." The Trooper finished reporting.

"So! 'Kretin' is our enemy now, is he? And he seriously believes he can overthrow me? With his little band of traitors? Pah! Even the Resistance can do better than he'll ever dream of." Scoffed Robotnik, turning back to head into the lift. "Roboticise the President, Trooper! Komanz and I will strategize a way to deal General Kretin ourselves….

 **Deep into New Tokyo…**

"WOOOO HOOOOO!"

Electronically buzzing his voice circuit in excitement, Metallix Beta chuckled mischievously as the high-speed trekking hover –car he was in seemed to bounce up and down across the endless landscape of Agron's infamous grey deserts. He'd not had this much fun in years!

But he was keeping in his mechanical mind that he still had to take things seriously. Now that he'd reunited with two Mobians from his past; Kretin and Charles Hedgehog, he'd be in for quite a rollercoaster of responsibilities and danger, especially in dark times such as this. As Robotnik's cannon fodder puppets took control of Agron city by city, there'd be absolutely no place to hide.

It seemed that the "Rogan Squad" of North Island Soldiers had packed their bags and decided to completely abandon the rickety old hideout they'd apparently been living in for several weeks now, and as Charles had just told Beta; " _THEY CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO GET THEM OUT OF HERE AND INTO ROBOLAND. THEY'VE BEEN ACHING FOR THE CHANCE TO FIGHT ROBOTNIK EVER SINCE THEY LEFT NORTH ISLAND. I'M SURE YOU'LL DELIVER, OLD BUDDY!"_

This of course left Beta quite nervous and anxious to a degree; was Charles really certain that Beta alone would be capable of smuggling them out of Agron, just after defeating the maniac that was General Kretin? The Robian who used to be one of the most respected and looked up to Generals in the olden days of the Mobolandian Army?

And what of his friendship with Charles? Would it be strained now that they had been apart for over a decade? Memories were now flashing back of their glory days before the start of the Great War, and even the only good things they did during the war itself were treasured by both of them.

The day that Charles' sister, the now missing Queen Aleena of Moboland (the only Queen left in Mobius!) was born, forcing the two brotherly type friends to have to raise her as an orphan, was something that always chilled Beta's mechanical core. And for the past two months, he'd been doing the same for Aleena's children, who spent their childhoods raised by loving foster parents, only to lose them to a vile Dictator. This truly was a huge responsibility he had taken.

But he hadn't told Charles about it!

Beta looked around at his old friend, also enjoying the fun movement of the hover-car. Now was the time to talk. "IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU, MY DEAR CHAP." Metallix attempted, trying his hardest to sound nice and welcome.

Charles' metal moustache lifted up in a warm delight. " _SAME TO YOU, GOOD OL' BETA. ALTHOUGH, THERE'S SOMETHING ON THAT COMPUTER BRAIN OF YOURS, ISN'T THERE? I CAN SEE IT IN YOUR EYES!"_

"PROGRESS ENOUGH." Thought Beta. "YES, WELL. I THINK NOW IS THE TIME WE STARTED CATCHING UP, NOW THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO HEAD INTO ENEMY TERRITORY….YOU ASK THE QUESTIONS FIRST."

" _OKAY!_ " Piped up Charles. " _SO FIRST OF ALL, WHERE'VE YOU BEEN ALL THESE YEARS?_ "

Glad that Charles' tone sounded more sympathetic than cross, Beta gave an honest reply; "IN HIDING. AT LEAST, UNTIL A FEW MONTHS AGO. AS SOON AS ROBOTNIK TOOK OVER THE COUNTRY, I….I JUST COULDN'T RISK BEING CAUGHT BY HIM. WHAT IF HE DISCOVERED THE TECHNOLOGY I WAS MADE FROM WAS A DECADE AHEAD? I JUST HAD TO HIDE CHARLES….I JUST DID."

Charles nodded slowly, understanding. " _BUT YOU'RE NOT NOW?_ "

"NO. NO MORE WORKING IN FACTORIES WITH ALL THE OTHER ROBIANS." Added the robot, his red eyes flickering slightly. "I AM AN OFFICIAL FREEDOM FIGHTER AS OF THIS YEAR."

" _A FREEDOM FIGHTER? BUT THAT MEANS…..SONIC! HAVE YOU SEEN SONIC AROUND? I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM AFTER I WAS ROBOTICISED, I-"_ Panicked Charles, his high-pitched robotic voice nearly making Alastair, who was driving, jump in surprise.

"CALM DOWN MY DEAR FELLOW, CALM DOWN!" Interrupted Beta, patting his friend on the shoulder. "IT'S ALRIGHT, SONIC'S FINE. SAME WITH HIS BROTHER AND SISTER."

" _THEM TOO?"_ Charles' warm voice teared up mechanically as digital tears seemed to paint across his Robian eye visor. " _YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THEY'RE ALIVE TOO? AFTER ALL THIS TIME…."_

"YES CHARLES…" Sniffed Beta electronically. "THEY'RE ALL SAFE. I SOMETIMES WENT TO WATCH MANIC AND SONIA GROW UP. NEVER FOUND YOU OR SONIC THOUGH, NOT UNTIL….TILL IT WAS TOO LATE. YOU'D ALREADY BEEN ROBOTICISED….BUT SONIC, HE…HE WAS JUST AMAZING. HE FOUND HIS SIBLINGS OUT OF THE BLUE, AND TURNED THEM INTO FREEDOM FIGHTERS TOO. AND NOW, I'VE FINALLY MET THEM IN PERSON, AS WONDERFUL TEENAGERS…THEY'RE A BIG PART OF THE ROBOLAND RESISTANCE, CHARLES. THEY'RE JUST MAGNIFICENT!"

Charles could no longer take it; if he was flesh and blood as he once was, he'd have tears of joy all across his elderly face. Instead, he leaned forwards to embrace Beta in happiness, surprising the old robot, whom eventually placed his hands gently on his old friend's back, somewhat overwhelmed by the weight of Charles' large mechanical claw that was in the place of a hand he had before Roboticisation.

Hopefully nothing could go wrong now, since Charles had just found out his nephews and niece were okay.

 **Sometime later, in the Agronian Caves…**

" _Empty! It's empty!"_ Cried a bewildered Gallagher, who like everyone else in the group was very confused indeed.

"CURIOUS…HOW VERY CURIOUS..." Examined Beta, looking around. "CHARLES MY BOY, IT SEEMS THEY HAVE LEFT IN A HURRY. THERE'S A LOT OF ABANDONED EQUIPMENT JUST LYING ABOUT! DO YOU SUPPOSE THEY WERE ATTACKED?"

Charles took some time to explore the enormous cavern from which the Rogan Squad had rescued Beta some hours earlier, yet came to an alternative conclusion to that of Beta's; _"NO, I WOULDN'T THINK SO BETA. THERE'S NO SIGN OF A BATTLE OR ANYTHING. ONE THING I AM CERTAIN OF IS THAT THEY'LL CONTINUE THEIR COUNTER ATTACK ON ROBOTNIK FORCES."_

"BUT WHERE?" Asked a puzzled Beta. "WHERE ELSE COULD THEY HAVE GONE?"

The robot then turned to Alastair, the most intelligently strategic mind of the Rogan Squad with his pure courageous and caring attitude towards his teammates. A personality that Beta very much appreciated as it reminded him of himself in his early days with Charles, before the "Age of Robotnik". "ALASTAIR! YOU'VE BEEN SPYING ON KRETIN'S OPERATIONS FOR A WHILE NOW, HAVEN'T YOU? IS THERE ANYWHERE ELSE THEY'VE BEEN APART FROM THESE CAVERNS?"

" _Well, there is one area he could've gone to; the primary citadel of the 2_ _nd_ _sector of Agron!_ " Suggested Alastair, with his incredibly old fashioned North Island accent that made it obvious that he came from a posh and wealthy Mobian family.

 **At the same moment, further away and outside the Citadel…**

Magnificent as depicted in a brochure, the famous Sector 2 Agronian Citadel was a much of a landmark of the country as Robotropolis' not so famous Command Centre was of Roboland. Its magnificence was not based upon its iconic spiralling dome design, however. More-so how futuristic and modern its architecture was; creating something, that to many Agronians rivalled even Robotnik's futuristic cities in Roboland. Without putting it into too many words, it comprised of several hotel-like quadrants that made it the biggest and most expensive building in the whole country. Had this been built 20 years earlier, it certainly would've become a popular tourist attraction among many Mobians. But alas, that was not the case. With most of the planet under worldwide tyranny from Robotnik, only the countries that remained free as of this day would be able to visit each other without harm. The decline in foreign visits to wonderful places all across Mobius was the most apparent example of how much of a dystopian universe the planet had become. And now, it was going to plunge further and further into one; the Citadel was under attack!

Explosions came regularly, though barely anybody outside could hear them, for the raging fires and smoke burned on the metallic structure endlessly and loudly for so long. This was proof of Robotnik's invasion making swift yet gigantic leaps every second into gaining control. How much longer would the Agronians persevere? Not for much longer it seemed. But what else stood in Robotnik's way aside from a near-defeated Agronian Army?

The Robian Renegadists march! Utterly and totally prepared, knowing full-well that Robotnik had arrived in the country to over-see the final defeat of Agron at his Empire's gruesome claws. And it was this that they planned to use to their advantage; by scattering in amongst Robotnik's mechanical Trooper forces, they would stealthily infiltrate the top floor of the Citadel and hopefully bypass the Agronian defences long before the army of Troopers would. At the top floor, they would wait for Robotnik's forces to get higher up, before ambushing them in a brutal fashion.

What proved most remarkable, however, was that only a small bunch of Robians; The Rogan Squad, were the only ones prepared to put an end to this madness. They knew the most about Kretin's operations after all.

With Metallix Beta, a near fifty year old hedgehog robot with strategical calculations to guide the squad through their perilous mission.

Charles Hedgehog, the main commander, with plenty of strength to help them through tight spots of trouble. If he were flesh and blood, he'd be in his 70s.

Robert Alastair, the brave Walrus who acts as secondary Team Leader of the squad, who was likely the bravest of them all, if a bit easily stressed and pre-occupied. He was in his late 30s, having been born about 10 years before the Great War ended.

Gordon Balthazar, who was immensely loyal to Alastair, being a very obedient (when he wanted to be) Robian Tiger who was always willing to sacrifice himself for his own teammates, no matter how ridiculous the situation could get. A very heroic mind indeed, for someone in their early 30s.

Rex Gallagher and Henry Hadley, both mischievous Robian wolves who'd apparently been very silly troublemakers during their school years, but while they had become more mature over the years, some remnants of their cheeky yet playful antics, being in their early twenties, something noticeable even by their roboticised exterior.

And of course, Geoffrey Tarquin, a Robian Panther who was the youngest and least experienced of the bunch, though he did have a knack for technology whenever it were used. He'd told Beta of a story in which he'd been drafted into the North Island military at a young age, and was very nearly intimidated by the lifestyle enough to run away, had it not been for the Rogan Squad recruiting and looking after him. He was only 21 years old!

Now they stood upon the grounds of the Citadel, watching as several gun turrets scanned across the perimeters, searching for enemy targets.

" _Those are Trooper guns! They must've taken the first few floors!_ " Examined Balthazar, looking through a pair of black tinted binoculars.

"THEN IF WE'RE GOING IN I'M AFRAID THAT IT WILL NOT BE EASY. THE FRONT ENTRANCE IS MOST LIKELY GUARDED SO AS PER USUAL WE MUST FIND AN ALTERNATIVE WAY IN." Suggested Beta, using his own visual scanners.

" _But Commander Beta, why would the Renegadists abandon everything and come here? I can't think of any logical reason they'd not come here with a whole load of supplies before planning to attack Robotnik's army!"_ Alastair commented, arming himself for the task up ahead.

" _I AGREE. THE WHOLE THING JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. IF KRETIN'S SO INTELLIGENT, HE'D KNOW THAT THEY DON'T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST ROBOTNIK'S ARMY UNLESS THEY RE-PROGRAM SOME OTHER BOTS TO INCREASE THEIR NUMBERS! I THINK SOMETHING CALLED THEM TO THE CITADEL. SOMETHING OR SOMEONE THAT ONLY THE RENEGADISTS OR JUST KRETIN HIMSELF KNOWS."_ Charles theorised, his metal moustache raising as he moved his mechanical mouth.

"YOU THINK THERE MAY BE A THIRD ENTITY AT PLAY HERE? ONE THAT'S PULLING THE STRINGS WITHOUT ROBOTNIK KNOWING?" Queried Beta.

" _COULD BE. FROM WHAT I CAN SEE, MOST OF THE FIGHTING IS HAPPENING AT THE TOP OF THE CITADEL RATHER THAN IN THE MIDDLE. SO PERHAPS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS UP THERE."_ Charles continued, pointing up at the highest floors of the citadel.

"WELL THEN, WE BETTER GET GOING. WE'LL SPLIT UP INTO TEAMS AND TAKE DIFFERENT ROUTES UP TO THE TOP FLOOR. I'LL GO WITH CHARLES AND ALASTAIR. TARQUIN, YOU GO WITH GALLAGHER. BALTHAZAR, DO ME FAVOUR AND WATCH GALLAGHER. HE'S A MISCHIEVOUS LITTLE RASCAL, JUST LIKE HADLEY. AND THAT'S AN ORDER!" Instructed the robotic hedgehog to the rest of the Rogan Squad.

" _Sir, yes sir!"_ The main members of the squad saluted Beta, who briefly made a slight electronic chuckle as the North Islanders rushed off in separate directions, all armed and issued with prime directives to help them through the mission. It was very much like old times for him, though that wasn't necessarily a good thing…..

 **A little later, on the side of the walls of the Citadel…**

" _Good grief, this place is enormous!"_ Alastair commented, as he, Charles and Beta climbed across the surface exterior of the Citadel with rock climbing gear they'd taken from the Rogan Squad's hideout. And now as they got higher and higher there was a real sense of urgency, as Badnik patrols of Orbinauts and Buzz Bombers searched the skies for incoming enemies, ready to prevent any potential reinforcements of the Agronian Army getting in to help fight off Robotnik's army of Troopers.

"SHHH….QUIET ALASTAIR! WE MUST MOVE LIKE THE TINIEST INSECTS. NOT A SOUND!" Snapped Beta, looking upwards at the sight of Buzz Bombers firing at Agronian Soldiers down below.

Charles however, had made some great progress, being higher up the building than his comrades; _"PSSSST! OVER HERE! I'VE FOUND A HATCH THAT LEADS INSIDE! FOLLOW ME!"_ He whispered electronically.

"A VENTILATION HATCH, ARE YOU MAD CHARLES? WHAT IF WE DON'T FIT INSIDE?" Asked a surprised Metallix.

Charles shook his head. He should've remembered that Beta wasn't the biggest fan of crawling through tight spaces, unlike his nephews and niece as he'd been told on the way to the Citadel.

" _COME ON NOW OL' BOY. THERE'S NO SENSE IN YOU LOOKING FOR ANOTHER ENTRANCE WITHOUT BEING SPOTTED. ITS ONLY ONE SHAFT, YOU CAN HANDLE IT!"_ Charles teased his old friend.

"OH ALRIGHT! I'M COMING, I'M COMING…" Grumped the robotic hedgehog as Alastair made a quiet chuckle at the two friends' banter.

Once Beta had reluctantly been pulled inside the shaft alongside Alastair, the crew robots had to rely on their glowing red eyes as torches to see where they were going, as it was nearly pitch black inside the ventilation shaft. He remembered how Sonic had told him he'd been in a similar experience escaping from Robotnik's submarine base back when they first met, only to be confronted by lots of water that the poor Hedgehog had nearly drowned in!

The more they crawled through the dark and claustrophobic tunnel-like shafts, the more conversations would spring up as they got deeper and deeper into the top floors of the Citadel. One in particular sprung up when Charles asked the question; _"SO WHERE'S THE RESISTANCE HIDING RIGHT NOW? ALL I'VE HEARD IS THEY'VE BEEN BATTLING ROBOTNIK ON A GLOBAL SCALE, GOING FROM BASE TO BASE ACROSS ROBOLAND, AM I RIGHT?"_

"NO CHARLES, WE STOPPED DOING THAT AGES AGO. LAST YEAR WE MOVED IN TO A PERMANENT HEADQUARTERS HIDDEN UNDERGROUND. THANKS TO OUR TECHNICIANS WE'VE FOUND AMAZING WAYS TO CLOAK OURSELVES FROM DETECTION. AND THE SECRET ENTRANCE ONLY ALLOWS REGISTERED FREEDOM FIGHTERS INSIDE IF THEY'VE BEEN CAUGHT ON CAMERA!" Explained Beta about the mechanics of the Roboland Resistance Headquarters.

" _CAMERA?! YOU MEAN YOU'RE USING THE SECRET GREAT WAR BUNKER? BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS CLOSED OFF FROM THE PUBLIC YEARS AGO! SURELY ROBOTNIK WOULD'VE KNOWN IF ANYONE HAD BROKEN INTO IT….."_ Cried Charles, who paused for a moment to process what he'd just been told.

Beta merely made an electronic chuckle, before stating; "AS I SAID CHARLES, STATE OF THE ART CLOAKING! ALEENA NEVER CLOSED IT OFF IN THE FIRST PLACE, THAT WAS JUST A FAÇADE TO KEEP IT A SECRET. I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHY BUT MY GUESS IS THAT SHE SUSPECTED VILE ROBOTNIK FROM THE START! AND ONCE THAT TYRANT TOOK POWER, THE FIRST FEW CELLS OF RESISTANCE HID THERE FOR A WHILE! AND EVENTUALLY WE JUST STARTED BUILDING EXTENSIONS TO IT. IT'S A BIT LOW ON LIGHT AND THE ACCOMODATION'S NOT THE BEST, BUT IT'S HOME. EVEN SONIC SEEMS SATISFIED WITH IT, HIS OWN ROOM IS QUITE CLUTTERED WITH JUNK, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY."

" _I can tell you Mobolandians have made yourselves quite at home then, Sir. Having a base like that in North Island would do us a jolly good favour, if only our government allowed it. Didn't Downunda start doing something like that?"_ Commented Alastair, who was also interested in what any Resistance group in Mobius was doing.

"OH YES, YES THEY DID. THEY'RE DOING FAIRLY WELL ACTUALLY. IT'S JUST A SHAME HOW MANY COUNTRIES HAVE FALLEN PREY TO THE FEAR OF ROBOTNIK'S TRYANNY. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, ONCE WE'VE SORTED OUT THIS ISSUE WITH GENERAL KRETIN, WE'LL HEAD OFF TO NORTH ISLAND AND INFORM YOUR GOVERNMENT ABOUT HOW SERIOUS THE SITUATION IS BECOMING. IF NORTH ISLAND JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE ROBOTNIK'S NEXT TARGET, THEN WE CAN'T WASTE ANYTIME!" Replied Metallix, as they started to move quicker through the shafts.

" _That sounds good Sir, the boys can't wait to leave this country. But what about your friends back in Roboland? Do they know you're here?"_ Alastair questioned, as Charles also listened attentively.

Beta's digital eyebrows drooped. "NO…NO ACTUALLY. I JUST LEFT THEM ALL ALONE. THEY'RE PROBABLY LOOKING FOR ME RIGHT NOW. I GOT SEPARATED FROM THEM ON A MISSION, BUT I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF WHEN I SAW SOME ROBIAN RENAGADISTS ON THE LOOSE IN ROBOTROPOLIS. I SUPPOSE IT WAS A BIT SELFISH, TO JUST DISAPPEAR LIKE THAT."

Charles smiled, his moustache raising again. _"NO NEED TO BE SO HARSH ON YOURSELF, OLD FRIEND. IF YOU DIDN'T COME, WHO KNOWS WHAT WOULD'VE HAPPENED? WE MIGHT NOT'VE MANAGED TO GET THIS CLOSE TO SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF KRETIN'S OPERATIONS WITHOUT YOU. SPEAKING OF WHICH, WHY WERE THERE RENEGADISTS IN ROBOTROPOLIS ANYWAY? I THOUGHT THEY WERE ONLY HERE IN AGRON!"_

"GOOD POINT. WHEN I SAW SOME, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT HUNTING DOWN SOME ROBIANS WITH 'FREE WILL'! THEY ACTUALLY DESTROYED A ROBIAN WHO'D SURVIVED BEING FITTED WITH ROBOTNIK'S-…..WAIT, OR MAYBE EVEN THE SAME SORT OF PROGRAMMING THAT I WAS NEARLY GIVEN BEFORE ALASTAIR AND HIS CHAPS RESCUED ME!" Realised Beta. "THAT REMINDS ME ALASTAIR, HOW DID YOU, CHARLES AND YOUR BOYS GET FREED FROM ROBOTNIK'S CONTROL ANYWAY? THE RENEGADISTS ONLY ALTERED PART OF THEIR PROGRAMMING, SO HOW COME YOU'RE THE ODD ONES OUT?"

" _I-I-I'm not too sure, sir. It's very difficult to explain."_ The Robian's voice strangely stuttered.

Beta's digital eyebrows rose immensely, though out of view of his comrade as there was not enough space in the shaft to turn his head the other way.

"AND YOU CHARLES?" He questioned, starting to become quite suspicious.

"I-I-I CAN'T REMEMBER VERY CLEARLY…MY MEMORY BANKS CAN'T FIND ANY INFORMATION ON IT!" The old Robian Hedgehog exclaimed.

"THEN CLEARLY SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT ABOUT ANY OF THIS. IF YOU CAN'T REMEMBER HOW YOU EVEN GOT FREE OF THE CONTROL, THEN CLEARLY THIS ISN'T NATURAL!" Beta proposed, not watching where he was going when walking through the shaft.

" _YOU MAY BE RIGHT BETA, BUT-"_ Charles was about to say.

" _Sir! LOOK OUT!"_ Alastair suddenly shouted. But it was too late, Beta accidentally nudged an air conditioning hatch and immediately fell through!

While the height he had fallen from was nowhere near as high as when he crashed into a junkyard back in Robotropolis several hours ago, the impact was nonetheless pretty painful for his circuits, especially since he'd tumbled down something a few times before properly crashing! "OW-W-W….." He groaned, lifting his slightly grazed metal legs upwards. Where exactly had he fallen to? Wherever it was, it was very cramped. Looking upwards, he frantically scanned his digital eyes for any sign of Charles or Alastair. "CHARLES? ALASTAIR? CAN YOU HEAR ME? WHERE ARE YOU?"

But there was sign of them whatsoever. He must've fallen down into a different area that was disconnected from the ventilation shafts. He was in the inner workings of the Citadel's top floors, all by himself and very worried. Was there any chance of him finding them again on the way to the very top floor? If not, then he had no choice but try and find his way up the hard way, and risk running into a skirmish. Or he'd be discovered by one of Kretin's henchmen, guarding whatever paths to the top floor were available. This was not a convenient change of situation at all.

 **Meanwhile, back up in the ventilation shafts…**

" _BETA? BETA! WHERE ARE YOU? WE'RE STILL UP HERE, BETA!"_ Cried Charles, determined not to lose his friend for good.

" _It's no use Commander Charles, he's nowhere in sight! We'll have to keep going, or we might never reach the top floor! Besides, from what I've heard him tell you it seems as if he can handle himself. Hopefully we'll meet up with him again."_ Alastair commented, knowing that there was no way to find him in the short time they had.

" _YOU'RE RIGHT SOLDIER, I JUST HOPE HE'D BE MORE CAREFUL NEXT TIME THIS SORT OF THING HAPPENS! TOO MANY TIMES I'VE HAD TO SAVE SKIN IN THE PAST."_ Muttered Charles, giving a big electronic sigh as his metal moustache drooped.

" _Perhaps he has had save your nephews and niece several times as well, Commander! Don't give up hope. Although, I'm personally more worried about the others. I sure hope Gallagher isn't constantly being the ridiculous clown he is!"_ Alastair replied, before the two continuing crawling through the deep shaft.

 **Somewhere else in the Citadel…**

"Bring us down there Komanz! NOW! We cannot afford to miss our chance to surprise that fiend General Kretin. I demand that you land us on that floor of the Citadel!" Roared Dr. Robotnik to his servant and chief scientist, who was steering the Dictator's personal hover jet down to a landing pad.

"We are here, Doctor Robotnik! But how do you expect to catch the enemy here, sir?" We do not even know his exact location, this building is far too large for any single Robian to be found!" The Komodo Dragon asked curiously, as the door of the Jet opened up, allowing them to exit onto the landing pad, where more Troopers awaited.

As soon as Robotnik marched towards a battered and obviously bomb-damaged door, he remarked to his lackey; "Catch him, Komanz? Oh no. I do not wish to capture him in a trap. In fact, heh-heh. I would prefer it if he came to me by his own accord. If the gentle-coyote wishes to show his scum and arrogance to me, then so be it! We shall confront one of another together, conqueror to conqueror!" When Robotnik made such subtle yet dangerously insane suggestions such as this, Komanz had already learnt that crossing him was in fact a pure death sentence. Though he had been lenient on Sleet and Dingo in the past, they had eventually suffered the consequences of their failures through Roboticisation. From what he had been told in his briefing by Swat Bots before his appointment with Robotnik was that the last time the two former bounty hunters had fought some Freedom Fighters was during a skirmish in the Green Hill Zone on South Island, where they'd managed to successfully capture three of the rebels, excluding Sonic the Hedgehog, who'd gone off to tackle the Badnik known as Snake Bot. But while they were able to transport their prisoners to a Downunda prison camp, the rebels had escaped into the city of Priscilla right under Sleet's very nose, shortly before he backstabbed Dingo and had him roboticised. This had left Robotnik so angry that he'd literally had Sleet tortured before a very painful Roboticisation. And despite the usual pleading and begging from Sleet that he'd make up for his mistakes, the Overlander refused to listen, plunging him into an eternal state of mechanical drone-like terror. No wonder the Badniks in the corridors of the near-complete Egg Fortress had grudgingly wished him "good luck". He had to be up to the challenge of succeeding in ridding Robotnik of his enemies and diminishing the Dictator's numerous defeats, or else.

And so keeping those dreadful thoughts in mind, he followed his lord and master through the door, and into the ruins of a bombed and very wrecked battlefield inside the walls of the Agronian Citadel. While there had been a skirmish in these corridors, it was now fairly quiet, despite the bodies of Agronians and even a few Robians supposedly from the Renegadists lying around, with very few destroyed Troopers among them. Since Komanz was not used to these sort of sights, he calmly backed away, as Robotnik's grin faded and turned into a face of slight distaste. "Such a useless waste." Murmured the Dictator, wandering off into the depths of the corridors, after he signalled the Troopers from the landing pad to trail behind them, ready to defend their leader if necessary. The Overlander was ready for anything, despite what his occasional nonchalance would show…

 **Elsewhere, higher up in the Citadel…**

Metallix Beta still had no luck in finding Charles and Alastair again, as he remained being forced to sneak his way through one of the lower ventilation shafts, hating practically every moment of it. This distaste had stemmed from bad experiences in old tunnels at the Mobolandian Front in the Great War, where to escape from incoming attacks, some Soldiers would occasionally have to flee into the tunnels and plant explosives to ward off their attackers. The trouble with this was that a lot of the time, someone would have to crawl through very narrow gaps, carrying a large tube that was connected to an explosive and a pump that allowed the users to detonate it. And quite a lot of the time, it was Beta who was forced to participate with this job, as nobody else in his regiment was thin or tall enough to fit through and crawl quick enough. Thankfully, the robot did not have to worry about this for long as he finally came to end of the particular shaft he'd been climbing through, and found another air conditioning shaft to climb out of and get into a nice and spacious room once again.

However, unlike the corridors that most of the fighting was taking place, this room contained a reception desk with a few mysteriously offline security cameras stationed on the wall above. A sign by a lift labelled; "OFFICE BLOCK 99547" informed Beta that he'd accidentally ended up in a non-domestic part of the Citadel where he was most likely not to find anyone, considering that the fighting would have caused a major evacuation, starting with Agronian office workers as they were important to the country's work industry. Nevertheless, he was still fairly high up the building, so if he could just find a window then he would know how much further he'd need to go until he reached the very top floor, where the supposed key to this mystery was.

The room next to the reception contained a small group of monitors on desks, but was generally empty compared to most offices Beta had noticed during his journey around Agron in a taxi several hours ago. As for the view outside the window, it was still night time, though a glowing clock tower in the distance he could tell it was early in the morning. That meant he'd been gone for over 18 hours! It had taken him a while to get to the country in the first place, but he hadn't thought about how long he'd been disabled in an unconscious state for after the Renegadists captured him.

He tiptoed to the very edge of the window, jerking his mechanical head sideways as far as he could in order to notice the roof of the building; it was about 234 metres above this room. Whether there would be a lift or stairs was the least of his worries, however, he still had to avoid detection.

"01000101 01010010 01010010 01001111 01010010 00101101 00110011 00110101 00111001 00101110 00100000 01010010 00101101 01010010 00101101 01010010 01000101 01010000 01001111 01010010 01010100 00100000 01010100 01001111 00100000 01010000 01010010 01001001 01001101 01000101 00100000 01000100 01001001 01010010 01000101 01000011 01010100 01001001 01010110 01000101 00100000 01000011 01001111 01001110 01010100 01010010 01001111 01001100 00100000 01010101 01001110 01001001 01010100 00101110 00100000 01010000 01010010 01001111 01010100 01000101 01000011 01010100 00100000 01010000 01010010 01001001 01001101 01000101 00100000 01000100 01001001 01010010 01000101 01000011 01010100 01001001 01010110 01000101 00100000 01010101 01001110 01001001 01010100 00101110" Buzzed a binary encoded voice, clearly suffering from some sort error in its programming.

Beta froze. He should've realised that the Robian Renegadists would've made it far up the Citadel by now! Thinking quickly, he noticed a mostly empty crate with a few computer wires, then immediately hid himself inside. Despite the rather tight fit, nobody seemed to notice anything odd about the crate as a few Robians entered, continuing to talk in binary. They were carrying up more crates just like the one that Beta was hiding in, unbeknownst to him. Therefore the crates were theirs, _not_ from the Agronians who usually worked in this block of the building. The Binary talk ended before Beta felt the crate being lifted, with the Robian's slight grunt signifying it was struggling to hold up the weight. Hopefully it was just assuming that there was some heavy electronics inside, rather than a large robot like itself crouching inside.

Eventually, after a long journey to some other part of the building, the Robian tossed the crate down onto the floor with a slight crack as Beta nearly flinched in surprise. And then, the Robian had gone.

After about two minutes, the mechanical hedgehog finally kicked off the lid of the crate. But upon trying to get out, he heard some more footsteps. Frustrated, he stayed put. At the very moment that the figure came close and Beta could tell it was not a friendly face, he leaped out and tried to throw a punch, only for the assailant to grab him by the chest and fling him straight into the wall!

The Robian in question was a Hokkaido Wolf, a Mobian species native to only Agron. But unlike roboticised normal wolves like Hadley and Gallagher, this brutal machine appeared more vicious than mischievous. It snarled gruesomely as it suddenly brandished an Agronian-produced katana and charged forwards with swerving thrust.

Beta leaped away at the last moment, his back severely damaged from the impact. His attacker snarled again, as Beta grabbed a slightly broken chair leg to use as a weapon. The Robian sliced ruthlessly like an axe, the chair leg dented at every hit. Beta then kicked the Hokkaido Wolf from the side, giving him time to move away. He dropped the chair leg, instead tossing one of the crates at his opponent.

Not expecting that attack, the Robian dropped the Katana, before Beta closed in for a few punches. But there was no effect; the Robian easily overpowered him.

"ACKKK!" The robot cried, landing painfully on the wooden floor. The Wolf gave him no time to recover, and immediately bulldozed a table at Beta so hard that he crashed through the wall, tumbling down a flight of stairs in a large, open part of the Citadel.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairway, the Robian leaped out of the hole in the wall, having recovered its Katana. Though this time the hideous machine attacked brutally with enormous amounts of ninja-like shurikens.

With little strength, Beta had many close-calls as he rolled to avoid them, barely being struck by two at a time thanks to the incredible speed at which they were thrown.

His dodging did not last long however; he was forced to crawl slowly towards a platform in the area before the Robian caught up with him. Preparing to finish off the mechanical hedgehog, the Wolf thrust his katana towards Metallix's fragile neck, only for it to be grabbed in the nick of time by a pair of rusted metal hands.

Finally having managed to auto-repaired the damage to his back, Beta bounced his torso upwards, allowing him to head-butt the Wolf unexpectedly.

Though this solution would only save him temporarily; the Robian wouldn't take more than 15 seconds to recover.

Luckily however, and much to his confusion, he stumbled onto the side of an underground train much like the one that had been used by the Renegadists. Now he had an advantage! Immediately jumping onto the nearest carriage, he did his best to shut and barricade the doors, before dashing off towards the end of the carriage, opening the door to the next carriage to move on. If he could reach the front carriage in time and start the train, there was a possibility he could escape from his attacker, as he'd clearly met his match with the Hokkaido Wolf's quick reactions.

The Robian had caught on with Beta's plan though; instead of trying to break into the same carriage its opponent had entered in, it got onto its paws and began to sprint incredibly fast for a mere Robian, and would pick shurikens with its rusted silver teeth to hurl them through the windows at Beta.

"AHH!" Cried Beta, ducking as he too sprinted as quickly as his old mechanical legs would allow him.

Shuriken after shuriken sliced straight through the glass and would almost graze his face. Yet he continued to run, his legs simply could not entirely keep up with the pace, probably because Beta's body was over 45 years old and starting to break down in places. One day he'd be in desperate need of a repair job.

Unfortunately, though he'd gotten very close to the main cabin, Beta was thrown downwards in surprise when the Robian Renegadist pounced right through the glass window and onto to the aged mechanical hedgehog.

He made an electronic gasp as the Hokkaido Wolf throttled at his head, as if he was trying to pull it off!

Reacting quickly, Beta kicked the Robian hard in the chest; it flinched just enough for Beta to gather his strength and throw him over his back.

The Robian tried to grab its katana, but Beta quickly knocked it out of the Robian hands, before tossing it outside of the train carriage. Scowling, the Renegadist resumed its attack.

While it seemed yet again Beta was caught off guard by the Robian's fast reactions, this was not the case.

Thrown upwards, then hitting his back on the luggage compartment stored above a seat, Beta quickly grabbed on to the handle. Swinging from it, he kicked his opponent in the head to briefly knock the Robian away.

Much to his relief, he felt something heavy inside the compartment, and pulled it out so he could use it as a defence.

But it was already onto him; the vicious machine rapidly smacked Beta in the chest and tossed him to the floor of the carriage.

"OW!" Cried the mechanical hedgehog, crashing hard on the tough metal floor.

Eventually, the Renegadist snarled one more time at Beta, before preparing to finish him off with an enormous shuriken it had pulled from its weapon arsenal!

" _01000100 01001001 01000101 00100001!"_ It roared, about to throw the sharp bladed mega-shuriken.

SMASH!

In an instant of that great impact, the Hokkaido Wolf abruptly blacked out, dropping the mega-shuriken and flipping forwards as its functions ceased.

Beta's electrical voice chip soothed as he broadcasted a severely faint but welcomed sigh of relief through the voice projector, his somewhat decrepit 49 year old body barely lifting up to see his saviour; a computer monitor that supposedly had come from the luggage compartment had been bulldozed straight onto the Renegadist's head, by another Robian!

Which Robian? Balthazar of course!

"BALTHAZAR! AM I GLAD TO SEE YOU!" Groaned the damaged Beta, as the North Islander lifted him up and returned with the comment; " _Oi! That's Balthy to you Commander. I did tell ya I prefer that name._ "

"DID YOU NOW? DEAR ME, I NEED TO CHECK MY MEMORY CIRCUITS ONE DAY." Gruffly answered the Metallix, noticing that Gallagher was also in the train.

" _Wow, that was awesome Balthy! Maybe Hadley and I should that move more often."_ Gallagher sniggered, his metal snout twitching.

" _I hope that's not for a prank, Soldier! If so, then you consider 'yerself knocked out like this Wolf here!"_ Snapped Balthazar, annoyed as usual with his comrade's mischief. Ironically enough, Gallagher was a Wolf too, albeit a more friendlier looking one than the ninja-like Renegadist, with a monitor still framed on its head.

" _Sorry sir. I was only jokin'._ " Gallagher muttered, saluting Balthazar, who was of a higher rank than him.

"AHEM. NEVERMIND THAT! HOW DID YOU FIND ME HERE ANYWAY, BALTHAZ-I-I MEAN BALTHY?" Interrupted Beta, with a slight stutter in his voice that sounded like a mechanical throat being cleared.

Before Balthazar could answer, he spotted a figure at the end of the carriage and pointed over to it; _"That's how, sir."_

The figure before them was amazing; it glowed transparent as a beautiful apparition of a tall, purple-hued woman, who wore a large and long gown down to her feet made of a pretty white silk. Partly laying on the floor was a golden cloak, sparkling as the apparition glowed. Her head was also purple, but with purely flesh-coloured cheeks below the black and sad eyes that stared into the distance. A golden crown rested below the majestic, monarchy-type haircut.

One important detail though remained clear to Beta; she was a Hedgehog, and a very familiar one indeed. "WHAT'S THIS?" His computer brain scrambled for details from a quick scan. "4' 1" HEIGHT, GOLDEN CROWN AND APPEARS TO BE AGED 48 YEARS?!"

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT, IT'S ALEENA! QUEEN ALEENA!" Gasped Beta. The apparition was indeed the former Queen of Moboland and the mother of the Sonic Underground, looking sadly at Beta and the two Robians. She did not speak, merely motioning to them to follow her through to the next carriage. Like a ghost, she passed right through the door without any sign of struggle. Beta had never seen anything like this before.

" _Who is she, sir? You know her?_ " Asked Balthazar, incredibly curious and puzzled.

"KNOW HER? OF COURSE I DO. I HELPED RAISE HER BACK IN THE OLD DAYS! SHE'S CHARLES' SISTER!" Beta exclaimed, an ecstatic tone in his voice.

" _Wait, you're serious?! But Commander Charles never said-"_ Started Gallagher, also surprised.

"OF COURSE HE DIDN'T. THE PAST IS A DIFFICULT SUBJECT. EVEN FOR ROBIANS." Beta proposed, unsure what exactly this apparition was doing here.

" _There really is more to the both of you that meets the eye, Commander Beta. What should we do?_ " Balthazar commented, concerned at the mysterious nature of both Charles Hedgehog and Metallix Beta.

"I SAY WE FOLLOW HER. WHATEVER THE REASONING FOR HER APPEARANCE IS, I ESTIMATE THERE IS A 86% CHANCE ACCORDING TO PROBABILITY THAT WE SHALL FIND OUT. COME ON!" Beta suggested, slowly following the apparition of the Queen.

Turning to his comrade, Balthazar confusedly spoke; " _Coming, Gallagher?"_

" _Yeah, go ahead. I'll catch you up in a moment. I just want to make sure our unconscious fella doesn't wake up and surprise us._ " Sniggered Gallagher, lifting the broken monitor off the Hokkaido Wolf's head, preparing to dispose of him in a (hopefully) non-comical and non-violent way.

Despite the tedium of having to open multiple carriage doors just to follow the ghost-like apparition of the Queen, the three robots watched as she suddenly came to a pause in a carriage just ahead of them. But unlike the ones from before, this one was not empty.

Beta, Balthazar and even Gallagher were all at loss for words. The entire carriage was for the most part filled to the brim with Mobian children. All of them were uncomfortably cramped together and look mighty hungry, some of them panting heavily and drooling for water. A few crumbs of moulded bread was the only the food that they appeared to possess, so the poor kids were starving. What was even more shocking was the fact that quite a lot of them were half-roboticised!

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" The Metallix exclaimed, utterly horrified at what he was seeing. "CHILDREN…..I ONLY SAW A FEW OF THEM, BUT SOME WERE ON A SIMILAR TRAIN IN KRETIN'S UNDERGROUND HIDEOUT!"

" _Wh-what?!"_ Cried Balthazar.

Beta sighed. "IT'S TRUE, I'M AFRAID. AT FIRST I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST CAPTURED FOR ROBOTICISATION, BUT THIS….THIS IS FAR WORSE…"

" _Man…We're gonna make Kretin pay for this! He and his robotic butt are going down!_ " Roared Gallagher, furious at the implications of Beta's comment.

But Beta was concentrated more on Aleena for the moment, as well as the Mobian Children, who seemed deadly frightened to see them. The ghostly figure Queen kneeled down and quite motherly stroked the chin of one 8 year old Mobian Cow. This was the only smile that Beta could see from her face right now, for she soon returned to an expression of ultimate misery.

"ALEENA, MY DEAR GIRL. YOU'RE….WHAT HAPPENED? YOU'RE STILL ALIVE, AREN'T YOU?" Beta asked, still stunned by her appearance. He hadn't seen her for nearly 15 years! And if Charles was alive and kicking (though obviously roboticised) then surely Aleena was alive too. But that didn't explain why she seemed so ghost-like. Not that Beta believed in Ghosts, but the apparition-type appearance of her didn't quite give him happy thoughts.

" **Only you and my Brother would ever know it were me. Hello, Uncle Beta.** " Suddenly emerged an echo of a majestic voice straight from the apparition.

While the voice took the three robots by surprise, Aleena kept talking, with a sweet and sincere tone. **"They're quite scared, you know. Even by me. They're all defects of the General's experiments. Horrible experiments."**

The Queen once again stared at the children with sympathy, but her tone quickly changed to a serious one when she looked back at Beta and the others. **"You haven't much time. You MUST reach station 857. It will take you to Charles and the others. I-I cannot stay for long."**

As the Queen oddly stuttered in her speech, Beta could sense a bit of fear in her, as if she were hiding from some unknown danger. He tried to step forwards to touch her, but his hand passed straight through the apparition.

" **No Beta. You can't feel me. But don't worry, I'll see you soon. I must go quickly. Find the control room, quick!"** She cried, just before the apparition vanished before his digital eyes, prompting them to widen immensely, signifying his further puzzlement.

" _Well fancy that!_ " Boggled Balthazar. " _She didn't even stop to explain herself!_ "

" _Well yeah! You'd think one of royalty like her would have the curtsey to enlighten us, eh?_ " Gallagher commented, still grinning comically.

" _Gallagher, for goodness sake, show some respect! I don't think Commander Beta will benefit from hearing such a silly comment like that. After all, he knows the Queen quite well apparently. What do you make of this situation, sir?_ " Balthazar quickly snapped.

Beta did not reply, however. His digital eyes had returned to their normal size on the head's eye screen, but his expression had become very drone-like. Nobody on the outside had any idea what calculations and processed data of thoughts was travelling within that computer brain of his, not even Robians will free will, however that was possible.

" _Sir?"_ Balthazar repeated, a little worried at Beta's sudden silence.

Abruptly however, an explosion ricocheted from nearby, causing the train to shake, to which the Mobian children responded to with more fear on their faces. They'd been quite a hellish experience, it seemed.

"YOU HEARD WHAT SHE SAID. STATION 857. THIS UNIT SU-I-I MEAN I, I SUGGEST WE GO THERE. UNDERSTOOD?" Boomed Beta out of nowhere; his hyper tone increasing the volume of his electronic voice. And then, he rushed off to the driver's cabin in the front carriage!

Befuddled, Balthazar stared at his comrade and awkwardly spoke; _"Good grief, did he just call himself;_ 'THIS UNIT' _?_ "

SLAM! The Train immediately thrust its wheels forwards on the rusted tracks, chugging faster and faster as Beta increased the speed. The speedometer slowly but surely rotated 246 degrees despite the huge pressure put on the train's engine, which could have easily disrupted the electrics if Beta wasn't careful. Clearly this wasn't the most well-engineered train in Mobius; he'd seen far better ones in Robotropolis.

Grabbing a headset from the controls, Beta was greeted by a state-of-the-art heads up display that surprisingly worked well with his digital eye screen as an electronic scanner connected to headset temporarily improved his visibility of his surroundings from the front mirror here in the cockpit, but also would alert him to any nearby obstacles coming up in case he didn't notice them. At the moment however, he focused on one thing; reaching Station 857, just as Aleena had said. He didn't know what was store for him, aside from potentially catching up with Charles, Alastair, Tarquin and Hadley as Aleena claimed he would.

One thing for sure though; they'd been spotted by Robian Renegadists lurking about in this floor of the Citadel!

"OI, YOU TWO!" Beta yelled slightly through the headset, which was connected to the train's speakers inside the multiple carriages. This sudden explosion of sound from the speakers made Balthazar and Gallagher jump, but upon recognising Beta's distinctive electronic voice, they quickly listened attentively just like the soldiers they were. "KEEP ON THE LOOKOUT FROM THE WINDOWS, I NEED UPDATES AT ALL TIMES ON WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE. OH, AND BY THE WAY, ARE THOSE MORE RENEGADISTS CHASING US?"

Balthazar was quick to discover an intercom on the wall of the carriage, though he had to get Gallagher to quickly re-wire it so he could use it; " _Indeed there are mate! They seem to have stolen from hover devices from Doc Botnik's army, so they're moving quite quickly towards the carriages further behind!"_

"UNDERSTOOD. IF THEY GET INSIDE, YOU'D BETTER BE THERE TO FIGHT EM' OFF! PROTECT THOSE CHILDREN AT ALL COSTS. FROM THE LOOK OF EM' THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH TOO MUCH HORROR FOR TOO LONG! Ordered Beta. He was convinced that the apparition of Queen Aleena was real and some way begging that they get them to safety. He didn't know how they could do that, but saving them was an act of kindness he wouldn't hesitate to do. After all, freedom was what all freedom fighters were fighting for.

 **At the back of the train, in the back carriage….**

"LOOK! OUR REPORTS WERE RIGHT. ZOSE ARE ZE TRAITOUROUS ROGAN SQUAD! ELEEMINATE' THEEM!" Scowled a Renegadist, driving a hover tank** as it signalled its comrades to leap aboard the train.

" _INCOMING!"_ Yelled Balthazar, his tiger sense lightening up as he scratched his roboticised claws. With multiple Renegadists approaching, he and Gallagher, while different in their attitudes towards battle, were nonetheless prepared to go down with a fight if it meant completing their mission.

" _Aww man. I sure wish Hadley were here!_ " Groaned Gallagher, used to fighting alongside his mischievous comrade. They would often play a scoring game, based off how many of their opponents they managed to defeat, something that had been demonstrated about two hours earlier during the chase on the Armoured Base.

" _No worries Soldier, I'll watch your back. Just don't get up to any nonsense, will ya?"_ Balthazar purred, just before a Renegadist leaped out of its hover tank and smashed straight through the glass door leading into the back carriage!

Immediate fist-fights emerged, with the two North Islanders giving their best defence, having to constantly attempt to stun and toss their opponents out of the carriage. But very quickly, Balthazar realised something; they'd forgotten to protect the carriages further ahead!

As expected, a few Robian Renegadists were driving in the hover tanks next to carriages very close to the location of the Mobian children, who were frightened out their wits, doing their best to hide as Gallagher had told them before he went to the back carriage.

"What are we going do?!" A bear cub asked quietly, ducking down to avoid being spotted by one of the nearby Renegadists.

"I- _I_ don't _know_ , but _I_ think _we're_ in _big_ trouble _if_ we _don't_ do _anything!_ " Replied a partially roboticised Pig.

At that exact moment, unbeknownst to the children, one Renegadist flew past their carriage and leaped straight into the Driver's Cabin!

SMASH! The crack of the glass alerted the young Mobians instantly; slight electronic growls and grunts were then filling up alongside cracks of metal to form an ambient sound of fighting that they could not yet see. It seemed Metallix Beta, who had just been driving the Train, had been surprised!

While a few Mobian children tried to peek through the door to see what was happening, others gasped as some Renegadists spotted them through the window, signalling their comrades to jump in and capture them!

But while the youngsters ran for their lives, with only a few brave enough to try and stand up to the much taller Renegadists, Gallagher and Balthazar nearly jumped out of their mechanical skins as they heard a small explosion sound from the Comlink, just as a few Renegadists were disposed of. Next arrived yet another crack of glass, before Beta's exasperated voice echoed through.

"URGH…..BALTHAZAR, GALLAGHER! WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM!"

" _What is it Sir? Have we gone on the wrong track?_ " Balthazar questioned, too bothered about Beta's tone of urgency than to correct him with his preferred nickname.

"WORSE THAN THAT. ONE OF OUR NASTY FRIENDS JUMPED ME, AND NOW THE CONTROLS ARE SMASHED TO BITS! THERE'S NO WAY I CAN STOP THE TRAIN!" Beta cried through the headset, looking worriedly towards the path that the locomotive was taking.

But the gasping reply of the two North Islanders never arrived; now they ran for their lives as Renegadists flew onto the roofs of several carriages, planting explosives that might potential doom for three robots.

And so, off went one explosion, destroying one carriage as the rest chugged along. But upon approaching the second to last carriage near the driver's cabin, Beta said one last comment through the comlink; "THE OUTDOOR TRACK UP AHEAD IS BUSTED. IF WE CAN'T GET OUT NOW, THEN WE'LL FALL STRAIGHT DOWN TO THE GROUND!"

 **END OF EPISODE 14.**

* * *

 _REFERENCES_

* Rotaka is an Overlander Country located in the Western parts of Mobius. It is close to Savatona and North Island.

** Hover Tanks are smaller versions of Swat Bot tanks with no roof and no wheels. They are specifically designed to hover above dangerous surfaces.


	15. The Robian Resistance Part 4

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 ** _Sonic Underground: The Continuation_**

 ** _Season 3 Episode 15: The Robian Resistance (Part 4)_**

" _In a Dystopia, the most uneven of things can happen. With power and greed, you can corrupt a world to your steel heart's desire. But with skill and secrecy, you can surprise your enemies and cause chaos to their cause. Some who do so fight for Freedom, others, however, do so for superiority, as a group of robots would soon discover for themselves…" -_ Queen Aleena Hedgehog

 **In the Agronian Citadel, during a dictator's great invasion…**

"THE OUTDOOR TRACK UP AHEAD IS BUSTED. IF WE CAN'T GET OUT NOW, THEN WE'LL FALL STRAIGHT DOWN TO THE GROUND!" Cried Metallix Beta through his headset, frustrated at the sight of the destroyed controls of the train.

" _Balthy to Beta. I repeat, Balthy to Beta! We're on our way! I think we just heard some trouble close to you!"_ Droned in the muffled voice of Balthazar, roaring in his digitised tiger speech patterns.

SMASH! Balthazar and Gallagher both charged into the carriage behind the main cabin, smashing through the glass door just so they could surprise the Robian Renegadist, who turned its gaze from the Mobian children to the roboticised North Islanders.

But before the Renegadist got the chance to attack, Beta also charged in, grabbing his opponent from behind to distract it.

Scowling, the Renegadist struggled as Beta tried to prevent it causing harm. Luckily, Gallagher quickly apprehended the Robian from the front with a strong kick, allowing it to be dazed enough for Beta to gather his strength and toss it straight out the carriage's right window.

" _That was lucky Sir! But I'm afraid we've got even worse news!"_ Reported Balthazar, the urgency in his voice becoming apparent.

"OH WHAT NOW!?" Growled Beta, feeling stressed out.

" _They're blowing up the carriages one by one sir. We might be blown to bits before we fall off the track!_ " Explained Gallagher, pointing towards the carriages behind them. Explosions echoed in the distance, as the carriages further to them shook.

"THEN DISCONNECT THE MAIN CABIN AND THE REST FROM US! HURRY!" Ordered Beta, just before the three Freedom Fighters rushed to do their job.

Slamming hard at the chord connecting the chain of carriages, it eventually gave away, with the three watching in relief as the carriages went out of sight.

Now the only issue was that they were going faster towards the edge of the track!

Next they fiddled with the chain connecting their carriage to the control cabin. After a good deal of clanging, it too broke apart.

"EVERYONE, HOLD ON TIGHT!" Ordered Beta. He was unsure of what to do next; they'd only delayed their potential deaths by isolating this carriage, and there was no of manually stopping it.

Was this it? Would they plummet to their doom?

Gallagher and Balthazar realised this too; they looked with horror at Beta and the Mobian children, who stood upwards and held onto the metal bars and straps that were standard in underground trains.

The children were pretty much scared out of their wits too; they didn't speak. Some of them were reduced to tears, unwilling to approach doom so quickly. They had no clear idea of who these three robots were, and why they were helping them. What they did know however, was that they fall off the track with them!

And now all of them looked through the destroyed carriage door, watching as the edge of the track came rushing up to meet them….

CLANG! Out of nowhere, the carriage slammed to a halt; Beta and the other passengers were flung to the side as the whole thing skidded on the track with an ear piercing screech. Hanging on for dear life, they gaped in awe as the carriage tumbled and knocked against the ledge of a platform, wide enough for the edge of the carriage to balance on.

But it wasn't over yet! The carriage already began to tilt slowly, the weight of its passengers clearly making an impact.

" _Oh good golly gr-!"_ Yelped Balthazar, thinking they'd fall again for good.

But this time something amazing happened; a group of four Robians emerged into view, and rushed towards their rescue!

One of the Robians had a claw for an arm, and clipped it onto the edge of the carriage doorway, pulling as hard he could while the other Robians did the same, putting all their strength into supporting their comrade.

With a sigh of relief, Beta let go of the strap he was holding onto, and climbed his down to the floor, crawling towards the doorway to see the faces of their rescuers; it was Charles and the rest of the Rogan Squad!

"CHARLES MY DEAR FRIEND! IT'S ABOUT TIME!" Gasped the mechanical hedgehog, squeezing out of the doorway as he assisted Balthazar in crawling through as well. Together the pair carefully assisted the rest of the carriage's occupants, getting them to hold onto each other as they were pulled out one by one as a chain of Mobians/Robians.

The half-roboticised Pig struggled the most; he nearly lost his grip as he accidentally got knocked into the side of the doorway as he squealed in fear; " _H_ e _l_ p _!_ "

The moment the pig got out, being the last one in the carriage, the Rogan Squad let go of the carriage, and collapsed to the floor of the platform in exhaustion as they watched the carriage plummet for good all the way down to the grey murky desert of the surface of Agron.

"OH THANK GOODNESS…." Breathed Beta, relieved more than he'd been in ages. Several near-death experiences got to one quite easily, even if they were a robot.

" _BETA, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT PAL?_ " Asked Charles, relaxing his metal muscles as he lowered his claw arm.

"NEVER BETTER..." The robot answered gruffly, as his comrades groaned in exhaustion.

" _Well we're glad to see you alive and well sir, for the most part._ " Alastair commented, saluting Beta with great respect. " _We were just wondering about here at Station 857 when all of a sudden we heard your carriage crash! What on Mobius were you doing anyway?"_

" _We were on the run from a couple of nasties Alastair, y'know, the usual nonsense you know us for."_ Grinned Gallagher, watching as Hadley smirked with approval.

Alastair ignored Gallagher's response, and instead turned to Beta. " _Did you find anything interesting on your little de-tour?"_

"WAIT. DID YOU JUST SAY STATION 857? SO SHE DID KNOW…" Beta realised, pondering for a moment.

" _WHO KNEW WHAT, BETA? DID YOU MEET SOMEONE?_ " Perked up Charles, curious about Beta's attitude.

"YOU BET I DID CHARLES. A GHOST FROM OUR PAST, OR AT LEAST IT SEEMED LIKE THAT. QUITE THE SIBLING OF YOURS, I MUST ADD!" Beta quipped, half-serious.

" _W-WAIT. YOU DON'T MEAN ALEENA?!_ " Charles questioned, his metal moustache lifting up as his digital eyebrows raised.

"I MEAN WHAT I SAID CHARLES. WE JUST SAW WHAT I THINK IS A WALKING TALKING APPARAITION OF YOUR DEAR SISTER, ALEENA HEDGEHOG. SHE'S ALIVE CHARLES, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHERE FOR SURE SHE IS."

Immediately, the whole group stood up, eager to continue their conversation. Charles' emotions raced round and round through his computer brain, almost struggling to process such personal information that had just been revealed.

" _I KNEW IT….I JUST KNEW IT. I KNEW ROBOTNIK COULDN'T HAVE CAPTURED HER…..BUT THEN….WHY DID SHE LEAVE THEM?"_ The hedgehog said, puzzled.

"I'M NOT SURE CHARLES. WHEN I WAS UNDERCOVER SEVERAL YEARS BACK, I REMEMBER FINDING EACH OF THEM WITH DIFFERENT FOSTER PARENTS; ALEENA WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!" Beta explained, also noticing how illogical it seemed from their knowledge that the royal Queen would simply abandon her children. Or did she? *

Charles didn't know what to say, so he partly altered the subject. " _WHAT DID SHE SAY THEN?"_

Beta paused to remember. "WELL….SHE TOLD US THAT THESE CHILDREN ARE PRODUCTS OF KRETIN'S HORRIBLE EXPERIMENTS…SO MAYBE THEY KNOW SOMETHING….AND-S-SHE INFORMED US TO FIND YOU AT THIS VERY STATION. SO THIS CAN'T BE A COINCIDENCE."

" _You know what sir, I think you're right! Whatever your friend Aleena meant, she might've been able to look into the future, and know what we have to do!"_ Tarquin suggested, putting his brain to use. Though he was the youngest of the Rogan Squad, he was still somewhat brainy when it came to interesting situations like this.

"GOOD THINKING TARQUIN. I MEAN, THAT'S SORT OF HARD TO BELIEVE BUT THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I COULD SEE HER KNOWING ABOUT THIS….SO WE HAVE GET A MOVE ON!" Beta nodded.

Walking up to the half-roboticised Pig, Beta kneeled down and spoke calmly to him. "HEY LITTLE GUY. WHAT'S YOUR NAME?"

"P _-_ P _o_ r _k_ e _r_ L _-_ _ **l**_ - _ **l**_ - _L_ e _W_ i _S_ …" Stuttered the Pig. **

"NICE TO MEET YOU, PORKER LEWIS. DON'T WORRY; NONE OF US ARE GOING TO HARM YOU. MY NAME IS METALLIX BETA. YOU CAN JUST CALL ME ' _MECHA_ ' IF YOU LIKE. THAT'S GALLAGHER, THAT'S HADLEY, THERE'S TARQUIN, AND ALASTAIR, AND BALTHY….OH AND THAT'S CHARLES HEDGEHOG." The robot calmly introduced himself and the Rogan Squad. "WE'RE FREEDOM FIGHTERS."

"Wait, Freedom Fighters?! So you've met Sonic? Awesome!" Cried one of the children, suddenly excited.

" _YEAH. HE'S MY NEPHEW!_ " Charles spoke out proudly.

"INDEED HE IS CHARLES. BUT TO THE POINT, YOU YOUNG ONES, WE NEED YOUR HELP." Beta interrupted.

"S-sure! _**An-n-n**_ -ything to _HELP FREE_ dom Fi _GHTE_ rs…." Porker Lewis piped up.

"GOOD LAD! NOW, HERE'S WHAT WE NEED YOU ALL TO DO…."

 **A few minutes later, higher up in the Citadel…..**

"The _**place they too**_ k us is right up _THERE. TH-TH-OSE_ robo **MACHINES…..THEY PUT US INT-T** o –th-them…..Up there….." Explained Porker Lewis. He and the other Mobian Children had taken Beta and the Rogan Squad high up into the Citadel, where they now looked across an enormous electrical generator room, which extended high up towards the building's very roof. A few ladders were about, which led up to maintenance tunnels, which apparently they'd been led through by some Robian Renegadists.

"I SEE. WELL LISTEN PORKER; IF WE'RE GOING TO CARRY OUT OUR MISSION, WE FIRST NEED TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE SAFE. NOW THE FIRST THING YOU NEED TO DO IS HIDE. I DON'T CARE WHERE AS LONG AS YOU'RE SAFE. THERE SHOULD BE A TRANSPORT SOMEWHERE NEARBY THAT YOU CAN COMANDEER, BUT THEN IT SHOULDN'T BE TOO HARD TO OPERATE. YOU UNDERSTAND?" The mechanical hedgehog explained.

"Y _ **-y-ye**_ ah…" Porker nodded, as did the other Mobian children.

"EXCELLENT. I KNOW IT WILL BE DANGEROUS FOR YOU, BUT I'M CERTAIN WE PASSED ONE ON OUR UP HERE, SO IT SHOULDN'T BE TOO FAR FOR YOU TO GO. BUT WE ALSO NEED YOU STAY THERE UNTIL WE COME BACK. IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG, YOU'RE OUR TICKET OUT OF HERE. AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T LET ANY OTHER ROBOTS SEE YOU! WHETHER IT'S A TROOPER OR ROBIAN RENEGADIST, THEY. MUST. NOT. SEE. YOU. I AM CLEAR WITH THAT?" Beta continued, also handing his grey blazer and tie to the Pig for safe keeping. He'd grown quite fond of his new attire, and didn't want them to be torn or damaged in any way.

"Don't worry Mr. Mecha. We understand. You can count on us!" Replied one of the children.

"PLEASED TO HEAR IT. NOW OFF YOU GO! OUR ESCAPE DEPENDS ON YOU!"

Once the Mobian children had left, Beta and the others made their way up the ladders, watching as the generator channelled numerous amounts of electricity into wires that presumably stretched around the entire Citadel's inner workings. Quite fascinatingly, the top floor felt completely different to the rest of the Citadel, almost like some sort of mechanical tomb. This created an atmosphere of a cold, gloomy and foreboding pound of what felt and sounded like a robotic heart pulse. This particular noise was bound to make anyone nervous, especially if they didn't know where it was coming from, which certainly wasn't the generator.

Eventually, the Freedom Fighters finally reached the top of the platform, which extended far enough to reveal a doorway to the maintenance tunnels.

"HERE WE GO BOYS; I THINK WE'VE ALMOST MADE IT!" Boomed Metallix Beta, pleased to have at last reached this point.

" **HOLD EET RIGHT ZERE!** " Suddenly echoed a familiar voice. Beta and the Rogan Squad automatically swivelled their cranky metal heads in the direction of the voice, only to find themselves face to face with a group of Robian Renegadists, and their insane leader!

" _GENERAL KRETIN!_ " Growled Charles, as the Renegadists held the Freedom Fighters at gunpoint.

" **VELL, VELL! EEFF EET EESN'T MEETALLIX BETA! I SHOULD'VE KNOWN YOU'D EESCAPE FROM MY ROBO-BRAIN WARPER!** " Rasped the General, with a bit of oil drooling from his robotic mouth. Something was very different about the Robian compared to his last meeting with Beta; his voice was much louder and more muffled, almost as if his computer brain had gone haywire.

"THERE'LL ALWAYS BE FREEDOM IN THE WORLD ARMAND, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT. BUT OF COURSE YOU DON'T, NOT AS THE KRETIN YOU ARE." Beta mocked the General in return, using his real name. It was a shame that such a famous Mobolandian General had been reduced to a bloodthirsty maniac of a Robian, with altered programming that more than likely had messed up a lot of its primary code. The big question was; what had done this to him? And if the same thing had affected the minds of other Robians, and even freed the minds of Charles and the Rogan Squad, how had it made this strange phenomenon possible?

" **NEGATIVE, SOLDIER. SOON ZERE VILL BE NON FREEDOM FIGHTERS IN MOBIUS. NOT AFTER ROBOTNEEK IS DEESPOSED OF. BUT YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE. IT WILL GET YOU, AND WE WILL BE SAFE. ZEN ROBOTNEEK SHALL BE VULNERABLE, AND I SHALL STRIKE HEEM DOWN.** " Snapped the Coyote, his face going between grimacing and smirking.

" _What on Mobius are you talking about? Not immune to what?"_ Questioned Alastair.

" **EET MATTERS NOT. YOU SHALL NEEVER KNOW. DEESTROY THEM!** " Ordered Kretin.

The Robian Renegadists, blindly loyal to their master, marched towards their targets, ready to fire, just before an explosion kicked in from behind! Several Troopers and other Badniks stormed in, and fired at the Renegadists, who in a panic quickly turned their aim onto them instead.

"WELL I NEVER!" Marvelled Beta. "HURRY! DOWN THE TUNNEL!"

Hurriedly, he and the Rogan Squad dashed down the nearest maintenance tunnel, as Kretin quickly roared in anger for some of the Renegadists to ignore the Badniks and instead follow the opponents he'd ordered them to attack.

RATATATATAT! Came the blazing firing of the laser firearms, chopping at the metal walls of the tunnels as their perpetrators savagely went in pursuit of the Freedom Fighters.

" _Sir! Up here!"_ Whispered Hadley, suddenly finding a hatch in the ceiling of the tunnel, and climbing up it.

"GOOD MAN HADLEY! UP WE GO!" Beta complimented the North Islander, also jumping up the hatch and climbing up yet another ladder. Once the others followed suite and had climbed high enough for everyone to fit in, they silently shut the hatch and waited tensely.

"tHEES wAY! tHEES wAY! zEY cANNOT gET tOO fAR!"Sizzled a faulty sounding voice of a Renegadist, charging through the tunnel, having luckily missed the Freedom Fighters by mere metres!

Soon, it all became silent below the hatch, aside from the noise of the continuing battle outside between the Badniks and other Renegadists. " _Phew! Thank goodness for that. Glad you thought of this Hadley._ " Sighed Tarquin.

" _No problem Tarquin, just keeping an eye out!_ " Grinned the wolf, sneering proudly much to Alastair and Balthazar's annoyance.

"ALRIGHT LADS, ENOUGH TALK. CAN YOU HEAR THAT?" Beta shushed them, lifting one hand off the ladder as everyone listened; the pulse had gotten much louder now, as if it were right above them. Not only that, but they could also hear the sound of electronic whirring and beeps. It was quite distinctive to Beta and Charles, as the pair of them had been hearing this sort of noise in Robotropolis for many years now.

" _YEAH…I HEAR IT BETA. WE MUST BE REAL CLOSE TO SOME SORT OF CONTROL ROOM!_ " Charles theorised. If he were right, then they might have uncovered the secret to the Renegadists' existence!

"HMM. WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE, AREN'T WE? COME ON!" Beta agreed, continuing to climb upwards.

The louder the noise got, the more anticipated the group would become. Especially for the Rogan Squad themselves, this was of vital importance and interest to them, as for many months they'd been spying on Kretin and his Renegadists for ages, trying to figure just what the madman was up to. While they had recently confirmed that Kretin was indeed trying to overthrow Robotnik, it was only know when they realised that it didn't make sense how they were suddenly freed of Robotnik's control, but the Renegadists weren't. Now was their chance to uncover the truth, and finally end this madness so they could leave Agron and return home to warn their leaders about Robotnik's thirst for invading the rest of Mobius. But what they were about to find was not what they expected whatsoever…..

The first thing that they heard was a hefty amount of binary code that was spurring through the data of a magnificent contraption, hot-wired straight into the brain of a powerful computer, which had remarkable capabilities; from its design alone it was easy to tell that it was built by Robotnik, since it was packed with state of the art strategic circuits and defence protocols. Whatever it was doing here, it certainly wasn't acting under commands from the vile Dictator himself.

" _What the-I don't believe it! What is this thing? I've never seen a computer like it!_ " Balthazar exclaimed, his curiosity at its maximum level.

" _You can say that again Balthy. This thing's utterly crazy!_ " Agreed Gallagher, his mischievous attitude dropped for a state of confusion. This machine was humming in perfect synchronisation with the pulse that had plagued their robotic ears since reaching the top floor.

" _It's unbelievable…..How does this thing even draw so much power?_ " Puzzled Tarquin, somewhat nervous but also fascinated by the computer. The whole room was like one gigantic server database, channelling coded information in binary to multiple locations via a transmission dish on top of the computer itself, sparkling with LED lights as the signals changed frequencies again and again.

" _I DON'T KNOW TARQUIN, BUT I'M CERTAIN THAT THIS THING IS ALIVE!_ " Charles solidified, now eager to get to the bottom of things.

Meanwhile, Beta was busy looking at some files on the computer's database, the only part of it that seemed open to use. Through the information on the files, he was learning very surprising details not only about the computer's origin, but some very sad facts relating to both the Renegadists, and his Robian friends….

"ALL OF YOU KEEP BACK!" The mechanical hedgehog roared suddenly, the tone in his voice very sincere and somewhat based in fear.

From that, the Robians nearly jumped out of their metal skins at the moment of Beta's crazy outburst! "I'M SORRY MY DEAR FRIENDS, BUT I'M AFRAID THIS COMPUTER AND YOU ARE ALL A GREAT DANGER TO ME, IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG." Beta continued, obviously scared in some way about what he just found out.

" _BETA, WHAT'S WRONG? WHAT ON MOBIUS DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? WHAT DANGER? IT'S ALL FINE, ISN'T IT? WE'RE NOT YOUR ENEMIES!"_ Cried Charles, quite worried for his friend.

But Beta shook his head, with his eye screen showing the glowing red eyebrows and eyes softening and panning down in disbelief and sadness. "I'M SO SORRY EVERYONE. BUT YOU'VE ALL BEEN FOOLED BY A FALSE PREMISE. THIS COMPUTER'S IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING YOU'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS, INCLUDING….."

But Beta could not finish his sentence, and trailed off. His expression changed, much like it had before in the past when he could not comprehend an emotional situation as deep as this. His digital eyes and eyebrows re-thickened, returning to their usual spot on the eye screen as he scarily took on a serious and rather unfriendly look, though his voice contradicted his appearance, almost as if the emotion had separated from his face.

" _Including what sir? It's alright, you can tell us. We deserve an explanation, don't we Alastair?_ " Balthazar tried reaching out to the robot.

" _Indeed Balthy. Please, Metallix Beta. Don't leave us in the dark. We've been waiting for what feels like a whole new existence to know the truth._ " Alastair firmly agreed with his comrade, looking at Beta with great concern.

"I-I…..OH ALRIGHT. I'LL TELL YOU…" More frustrated with himself than his friends. He walked over to the other side of the contraption, and moved his head down in a drone-like manner to stare at the vandalised shape of a faded out Robotnik Empire symbol, much like the one on his own shoulder.

"THIS COMPUTER IS OF COURSE ONE OF ROBOTNIK'S INVENTIONS, AND QUITE AN ADVANCED ONE AT THAT. IF HE HAD MANY OF THESE, THEN IN THEORY HE'D HAVE AN INCREDIBLY INTELLIGENT AND PRECISE ARMY OF ROBOTS, CARRYING OUT INSTRUCTIONS THAT HIS NORMAL COMPUTERS WOULD BE TOO LIMITED IN POWER TO PERFORM. TRULY, THE POWER IS INCREDIBLE. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, ROBOTNIK PROBABLY THOUGHT IT TOO BE GOOD TO BE TRUE." Beta began explaining, lifting his head up again in the same slow drone-like movement.

" _IN WHAT WAY, BETA?"_ Asked Charles, shuffling a little closer to his friend in order to comfort him.

"SIMPLY PUT, IT DISOBEYED HIS COMMANDS. OVER-CALCULATED ITS INSTRUCTIONS TO TRY AND EXCEED THE COMMANDS AND PRODUCE A HIGHER RESULT. IT WENT OUT OF CONTROL, AND DECIDED IT WOULD NO LONGER SERVE HIM. IT GOT SMART. TOO SMART…SOUND FAMILIAR?" The Metallix swivelled towards Charles, who understood precisely what he meant.

" _JUST LIKE YOU…..YOU….."_ Charles gasped. Ever since he'd first met Beta several years back, before Robotnik, before the Great War, he'd knew that the mechanical hedgehog was from an alternate dimension, and that it had escaped from the control of its master. Of course, that master was now known to be a dimensional counterpart to the vile Doctor Ivo Robotnik of their world, but it was only today that he could see the irony of that fact.

"AND IT SEEMS OUR SWORN FOE DID HIS BEST TO GET RID OF IT. AND I'M GUESSING IT GOT DUMPED LIKE SCRAP, AND SOMEHOW IT WOUNDED UP HERE. IN THOSE CAVERNS WHERE KRETIN AND HIS GOONS WERE HIDING. THEN KRETIN, STILL UNDER ROBOTNIK'S CONTROL, FOUND IT. HE WAS MOST LIKELY WORKING IN AN ELITE ROBIAN FIGHTER SQUAD GROUP, SPYING ON AGRON TO DELIVER INFORMATION TO ROBOTROPOLIS. WHATEVER STATE THIS MACHINE WAS IN, IT MUST HAVE MANIPULATED KRETIN'S PROGRAMMING, ENOUGH TO TURN HIM AGAINST ROBOTNIK!" Beta confirmed, his tone now at a serious and gloomy state.

" _And made Kretin repair it so that it control more of the Robians working here, right?_ " Tarquin suggested.

"EXACTLY. KRETIN'S JUST THAT, A CRETIN. A MERE PAWN CONTROLLED BY ITS PUPPET MASTER; THIS POWERFUL COMPUTER. AND IT ONLY RUNS ON CODED AMBITION. NO REAL LOGIC, JUST THE ROBOTIC DESIRE TO RAISE ITSELF AS SUPERIOR TO FLESH CREATURES LIKE MOBIANS AND OVERLANDERS." Nodded Beta.

" _But what does that have to do with us? You said we're a danger to you."_ Commented Gallagher.

"YOU MIGHT BE." Sighed Beta. He turned to Charles and Alastair, and referred back to something he'd said earlier. "YOU TWO, REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU HOW YOU'D MANAGE TO GET FREE OF ROBOTNIK'S CONTROL?"

Charles didn't answer, almost as if he had an idea of where this was going. So Alastair stepped in instead; " _Yes sir, we told you that we couldn't remember. It's a complete blur in our heads. We know it happened a few months ago, but to tell you the truth, none of us remembers how this whole fighting Kretin thing started. It just….It just happened, actually."_

"YES….I WAS AFRAID OF THAT." Beta breathed, with some air puffing out of his mouthpiece. "IF I AM TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I CANNOT PROMISE YOU THAT YOU WILL BE THE SAME AGAIN. YOU WILL FEEL MANIPULATED. SO SHOULD I TELL YOU THE REST THEN?"

The six Robians went silent for a moment, contemplating their verdict amongst each other.

Tarquin, despite his curiosity, felt compelled to not hear the truth, as Beta's tone was enough to frighten him.

Gallagher and Hadley, both stared at each other. They were conflicted, and thought on similar lines. While Beta did seem reluctant to tell them, they'd come quite far in this journey, and were determined to know, whatever the danger of doing so may be.

Balthazar was unsure; from his little misadventure on the train with Beta and Gallagher earlier, he had found himself trusting the mechanical hedgehog immensely, but seeing the way he had reacted to the appearance of Queen Aleena's ghostly apparition, he wondered if it would be wise to know information

Alastair was probably the most optimistic out of all those in the room. Charles had told him some great things about Beta, and so far they had turned out to be true. This alone was enough to convince him that it was right for Beta to tell them the truth.

Charles Hedgehog on the other hand, seemed to understand Beta's position. He secretly had something shameful to hide as well, but for years he had never dared to tell anyone. Not Sonic, not Sonic's foster parents, not Aleena when she was still Queen, and not even Metallix Beta. But he supposed that if his secret was just as shocking as the one Beta now knew of, then it would do little to change his shame.

Beta was merely left to ponder and stare into the darkness of the hatch behind his Robian friends, wondering about the Sonic Underground and the rest of the Roboland Resistance, who had probably given up the search for him back in Robotropolis, and headed back to their usual round of missions; blowing up Swat Bot factories, stopping Badnik attacks, going on reconnaissance operations, and giving Robotnik something to yell about in fury to his minions for failing him.

In the end, after a quick and quiet discussion, the Robians finally came to a conclusion.

" _BETA, WE HAVE ALL THE COURAGE WE NEED TO PREPARE OURSELVES FOR SUCH A REVELATION. IF IT IS BAD AS YOU SAY, THEN WE TELL YOU THAT WE'RE READY FOR ANYTHING. EVEN THIS. SO PLEASE, TELL US THE TRUTH."_ Charles spoke, with a slightly strict tone in his voice. He wouldn't take no for an answer.

Almost immediately, Beta's hasty reply arrived; "AFFIRMATIVE." Then he shifted his view straight towards the six Robians. "YOU ARE NOT FREE FROM ROBOTNIK'S CONTROL."

" _W-wh-what!"_ Cried Alastair, as his comrades and Charles gasped with total shock.

"IT IS TRUE. THE REASON YOU DON'T REMEMBER IT HAPPENING IS BECAUSE YOUR MIND IS STILL ENCASED IN ROBOTNIK'S PROGRAMMING. ALL THAT HAPPENED IS THAT THIS COMPUTER HACKED INTO YOUR PROGRAMMING, JUST LIKE IT DID WITH KRETIN AND THE RENEGADISTS, AND CHANGED IT. ONLY THIS TIME, IT MUST HAVE MALFUNCTIONED AND DID MORE CHANGES THAN INTENDED." Beta resumed, pointing to the transmission dish on the computer.

"YOU'RE ABLE TO THINK FOR YOURSELVES, MOVE AROUND AS YOU WILL, BUT YOU AREN'T REALLY FREE. THIS THING'S JUST BROADCASTING A CONTINUOUS SIGNAL INTO YOUR MINDS THAT'S KEEPING YOU LIKE THIS. AND IT'S NOT AS STRONG AS THE ONE USED BY THE RENEGADISTS. AS YOU TRY TO LEAVE AGRON, THE SIGNAL WILL BE UNABLE TO REACH YOUR MINDS, AND YOU RETURN TO BEING MINDLESS SLAVES OF ROBOTNIK."

And so the room went silent again, apart from the continuous humming and mechanical pulse of the computer, which seemed almost oblivious to what was going on. As far as it were concerned, these seven robots were of no threat, especially since it was in protection mode.

" _So it was a lie…."_ Growled Gallagher, as Hadley beside him angrily banged at the computer, only to receive a slight jolt of electricity in return, as the computer was using an invisible electric shield to prevent anyone from damaging it.

Tarquin stared at Beta in disbelief, unable to comprehend what he had heard. Just as Beta had predicted, a common feeling amongst the Robians was that had been manipulated. Manipulated by lies.

Alastair and Balthazar, while deeply affected, did not act so angry. Instead, a gloomy and betrayed look was on their robotic faces.

Out of all of them, Charles was surprisingly the most affected. Stuttering he blurted out; " _TH-TH-T-THIS IS ALL MY FAULT…I SHOULD'VE KNOWN…I HAD SO MUCH HOPE…..TH-THAT I'D BE ABLE TO GO HOME….FREEDOM FIGHT….AND SEE SONIC, MANIC AND SONIA…MY NEPHEWS AND NIECE…FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS….….…..LOOK WHAT I'VE DONE….."_

Confused, Beta trotted towards Charles, and put a comforting metal hand on his friend's shoulder. "NO CHARLES, IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT. I'M SORRY THAT THIS IS YOUR FATE, BUT YOU HAD NO PLAY IN THE MATTER. THE RESPONSIBILITY WAS NOT YOURS."

But Charles denied this. " _N-N-NO. YOU D-D-DON'T UNDERSTAND. YOU SEE, IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF THAT DAMN INVENTION."_ Charles' grief seemed to contain some anger, but it remained dried out by his sadness. This pulled the rest of the Freedom Fighters' interest, as they wondered what Charles' sudden secret was.

" _I-I-IT WAS ME BETA….I DID IT….I INVENTED THE ROBOTICISER!_ " Charles finally cried, unable to produce tears as a non-flesh and blood robot.

"YOU WHAT?" Shouted Beta, stunned more at this revelation than the one he had just revealed.

" _IT'S T-TRUE. I WAS WORKING ON IT FOR AGES, IN S-SECRET. EVERYTIME WE WENT ON LEAVE DURING THE WAR, I WAS GATHERING PARTS AND IDEAS FOR MY SECRET PROJECT. I WAS SO SICK AND TIRED OF ALL THE VIOLENCE WE'D SEEN. I-I JUST WANTED TO END IT. BUT IT ALL WENT WRONG…..I TRIED TESTING IT….NOT ON A MOBIAN, BUT JUST A LITTLE FLOWER. BUT TO MY HORROR, AS SOON AS IT WAS ROBOTICISED, IT WASN'T A FLOWER ANYMORE. IT WAS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, MECHANICAL AND DEVOID OF ANY TRUE LIFE. NOTHING EQUIVALENT TO US IN METAL FORM, JUST LIFELESS. I WAS SCARED THAT IF IT EVER WAS USED ON ACTUAL PEOPLE, THE RESULTS WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC. SO I SCRAPPED THE PROJECT, AND TRIED DESTROYING THE PLANS. IT WAS ONLY A WEEK AFTER THE WAR ENDED, ROBOTNIK MUST'VE FOUND IT. AND LOOK WHAT HE DID WITH IT…..ALL THIS SUFFERING, ALL THIS ROBOTICISING…..I MADE IT POSSIBLE."_

Now the sympathy for Charles was with everyone in the room, including Beta, who quickly dropped his shocked tone. And while the Rogan Squad gathered beside him to comfort Charles, Beta refused to lay the blame on Charles; "NO MY DEAR FELLOW. IT WAS NOT YOU. I SAY IT AGAIN, THE RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT YOURS. IF YOU DID EVERYTHING TO DESTROY THOSE PLANS SO NOBODY ELSE CAN USE IT, THEN YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE! IT WAS ROBOTNIK, AND ROBOTNIK ONLY WHO MUST PAY FOR THIS VILE DEED. IF THERE'S ONE THING I'VE LEARNT THESE PAST HOURS, IT'S THAT OUR JOB AS FREEDOM FIGHTERS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER. AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE UP. NOT EVER! YOU HEAR ME? NEVER!"

Upon saying that, Beta was pleased to hear the Rogan Squad cheering, with their newly uncovered freedom fighting spirit finally present. This cheered Charles up a bit, enough for him to give a silent nod.

"I'M VERY PROUD OF YOU FOLKS. YOU'VE ALREADY PROVEN YOURSELVES AS FREEDOM FIGHTERS, AND IF ANY OF YOU FORM A RESISTANCE BACK IN NORTH ISLAND, I KNOW YOU'D DO A GOOD JOB. I'M SURE EVEN THE SONIC UNDERGROUND WOULD BE PROUD." Beta exclaimed, then walking back to the computer's monitor.

"BUT THERE'S ONE MORE THING THAT WE NEED TO HAVE IN MIND, LADS. THIS COMPUTER HAS A GRAND SCHEME, AND IT EXPLAINS WHAT OUR FRIEND KRETIN MEANT EARLIER!" The mechanical hedgehog said, motioning for his friends to walk towards the monitor to see what he meant.

According to the data shown, the computer was detailing a plot to use its power to blast an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) wide and powerful enough to destroy most of Robotnik's forces in the area. This would leave the Overlander vulnerable and then he could be overthrown! But to make sure that its minions would not be effected in the process, the computer had managed to make the Renegadists gather parts to create themselves special chips that made the immune to the EMP's effects. It quite a masterful scheme, and it meant that a huge amount of chaos was inevitable.

" _Wow….That's quite a tough thing to crack, sir. But I think we're up to it. We've thought Kretin for long enough now, and if this costs our own minds, we're prepared to take the risk. It's more important that you warn North Island and get home to Roboland anyways."_ Commented Balthazar, having just read the details of the plan on the computer screen.

"I'M GLAD YOU'VE COME TO TERMS WITH THIS BALTHAZAR. YOU ARE QUITE REMARKABLE. BUT WE'LL HAVE TO BE QUICK, IF WE'RE GOING TO FIND A WAY TO STOP THIS COMPUTER, THEN WE'LL HAVE TO WATCH OUT, BECAUSE IT'S SENDING TWO EMPS BLASTS! THE FIRST ONE PROBABLY WON'T EFFECT US, BUT THE SECOND ONE CERTAINLY WILL. SO SHALL WE PROCEED?" Asked Beta.

" _Sir yes Sir!"_ Cried the Rogan Squad, with Charles grinning at Beta's side.

 **Later, elsewhere in the top floor of the Citadel…**

" **PREPARE YOURSELVES MEN! ZE FIRST EMP BLAST VILL BE ARRIVING VERY SOON!"** Commanded General Kretin. Though his men had lost sight of Metallix Beta and the other Robians, it was important to proceed with their plan. No matter how many of them were lost on the way, there was still plenty of robot parts that could be used to reconstruct an army, as the EMP blasts would damage the robotic circuits enough to disable them. Therefore the rebellious computer was confident that nothing could go wrong. It had control of Kretin, and a whole bunch of manipulated Robians, so it was easily protected.

But what about Robotnik?

"Halt, you renegade scum!" Snarled a furiously echoing voice of a fat Overlander, marching in full military invasion uniform and accompanied by Komanz and two Trooper Badniks.

" **DR. ROBOTNIK! YOUR APPEARANCE IS UNTIMELY-BZZZZT…..-** **01000101 01010010 01010010 01001111 01010010 00101101 00111001 00110000 00111001…..-BZZZZZT-BUT YOU ARE TOO LATE TO STOP US…WATCH AS THE FIRST STEP OF OUR GRAND SCHEME UNFOLDS!"**

Within seconds, the electrical generator kicked into life; it seemed to Robotnik like it had a will of its own! And indeed it did, for the mechanical heart pulses grew louder and louder, before an almighty implosion sounded from above, with electricity spurring about across the outside of the generator. Eventually, the electricity began to release itself from the generator, right before it was blasted in even more mighty explosion, soaring right through everything in its sight!

Of course, nothing seemed to go wrong at first. Robotnik and Komanz remained unaffected, if a little jolted by sudden electrical interference in their cyborg parts. But in no time it turned from slightly bad to worse; the two Troopers protecting them were immediately fried, their circuits and other parts sizzling as they toppled to the ground. Robotnik and Komanz looked around in confusion, as they heard the effects that had just seen come into play all around the Citadel!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! KABOOM! BOM! BANG! BANG! BOM BOM! KABOOM!

Even outside the Citadel, a few Hover Unit vehicles piloted by Troopers were caught in the blast, and lost altitude quickly before crashing into the grey desert below….

Beta and the Robians felt it too, though thankfully as predicted this particular blast wasn't enough to blow them to bits, but it did give them electrical shocks.

" _Gaa—yahhhhh!_ " Cried Gallagher and Hadley simultaneously, their tongues visible as they made comical expressions to react to the jolt of pain.

KRAKDOOOM! KZZZZZTTTTT!

Interestingly, some robots only received small explosions, with the rest of their metal bodies catching fire as they toppled down, their circuits sizzling from the flames. All of these were a big sign of just how powerful this renegade computer was, and why Robotnik had originally been so keen to get rid of it. The first blast had already done significant damage to his forces, and from what he was hearing from the countless reports by surviving Troopers and other Badniks, there was no way they could survive a second one.

"WHAT! What do you mean that the primary generator on board my Command Ship is damaged?! Get it repaired at once!" The dictator screamed into a comlink strapped to his right cyborg arm. "Why you exasperating fiend! You-you!"

General Kretin merely made a horrible electrical cackle; " **HA HA HA…YOU SEE DR. ROBOTNIK, YOU ARE AT OUR MERCY. YOU CANNOT DO ANYTHING TO STOP ZE SECOND BLAST. BUT SINCE YOU ARE HERE, PERHAPS EET SHALL MAKE OUR JOB EASIER. PREPARE TO DIEE!"** And the next thing Robotnik knew it; was that Kretin brandished a katana of his own, much like what some of his Renegadists had.

"Pitiful little scum! Me, at your mercy? NEVER! A dictator never begs for mercy! I'LL DIE FOR MY OWN EMPIRE!" Spat Robotnik. "You forget one thing, you impertinent coyote, I have secrets as well! Komanz, give my Rapier!"

At once, the faithful servant obliged, opening a metal case to reveal a well-polished and extremely sharp sword, which you'd most certainly wouldn't like to see pointed at yourself.

"I'll show you who the true master of Mobius is, Kretin! This world shall respond to ME! And me alone!" Snarled Robotnik, preparing for a duel.

" **VE SHALL SEE, ROBOTNIK. ON GUARD!"** Kretin snapped back, accepting the challenge.

Close by, Beta and the other Robians were hearing this exchange, while recovering from EMP blast's effects. "COME ON! UP YOU GET LADS, WE'VE GOT TO CLIMB UP THAT GENERATOR, THERE MAY BE A WAY TO DISABLE IT IF WE GET UP THERE!"

But some of them had doubts. " _But sir, how the heck can we get up there without being shot by the Renegadists?_ " Asked Tarquin, somewhat worried.

"THAT'S HOW!" Exclaimed Beta, pointing to a sudden explosion. Luckily for them, Robotnik had managed to summon some remaining Troopers to tackle the Renegadists, so that was one problem solved.

Using some grappling hooks and some special climbing gear that Alastair, Charles and Beta had previously used to climb up the side of the Citadel quite perilously, the seven robots did some fantastically brave mountaineering up the sides of the generator, each going in different directions so that they wouldn't be easily shot down. And while most of the Renegadists were occupied, one had spotted them scaling the generator, and promptly jumped after them, using ninja like skills to get high without climbing gear.

"HARRRGHHH! 01000101 01010010 01010010 01001111 01010010 00101101 00110100 00111001 00110101 00100001 00101101 00110100 00111001 00110101 00111001 00110101 00110100 00110100 00110000 00110101 00110011 00101101 00110100 00110101" Roared a vicious Robian crocodile, snapping its teeth up at Balthazar's feet, as the poor North Islanders, with his tiger paws, was unable to push himself upwards.

Most of the North Islanders apart from him had managed to get quite high up, but the older ones such as Beta and Charles were further down, not just because they had much crankier and older mechanical limbs that made it harder to climb, but they were also worried about Balthazar, who seemed busy trying to prevent his metal feet being ripped off!

" _DON'T JUST STAND THERE! Do something!"_ The Robian Tiger screamed, watching as the Renegadist bit hard at one of his feet, while pulling at the other to prevent it being used to kick him.

Beta did his best climb close enough, but if he got too close, there wouldn't be enough gaps for his feet and hands to fit through, plus the hooks would probably not be able to support the weight of that many heavy robots for long!

" _BETA! CATCH THIS!_ " Called Charles, tossing a climbing hammer.

Catching it just in time before it had the chance to fall, Beta carefully managed to mountaineer his way high enough to be above Balthazar, then dropped down slightly.

" _A-A-AH! Get off me!_ " Cried Balthazar, not noticing Beta was right next to him and the Robian Renegadist crocodile.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Beta relentlessly hammered at the Renegadist, who in pain let go of Balthazar's foot, and fell backwards, losing its grip and falling back down to the platform in what looked like a pretty painful impact.

"OOH…THAT MUST'VE HURT." Commented Beta, knowing that while the Renegadists were still their enemies, that the real Mobian souls inside them were likely suffering immensely, something that more than likely would happen to Charles and the Rogan Squad sadly.

" _Yeah, well it hurt me, really badly!"_ Snapped Balthazar, shaking his foot to try and relieve the pain slightly.

" _Hurry you three!_ _We're already up!_ " Shouted Alastair, standing at a maintenance platform at the top of the generator.

Soon enough, Charles, Beta and Balthazar finally were up to mountaineer their way up to Alastair and the others, kindly being pulled upwards.

"ALRIGHT BOYS, WHAT'S THE STATUS THEN? HOW DOES THOSE CONTROLS LOOK?" Asked Beta.

" _This thing's crazy sir! There's no easy way for us to shut it off. The only way we can stop it is by overriding it. But that means draining it of half its energy!"_ Tarquin sighed, angrily fiddling with the controls to try and make an effect, but he was failing to even stop it channelling energy, as a countdown meter to the second EMP Blast showed time was running out.

" _THERE'S NO WAY WE CAN GIVE UP NOW TARQUIN! ANY IDEA OF HOW WE CAN DO IT?_ " Shouted Charles, as the battle below got louder and louder.

" _There might be one way sir. If we unplug these large cables and take them some energy deposit stations nearby, we may be able send the energy to somewhere else in the Citadel instead. That way we can limit the effects of the blast, or better yet, allow me to change how it affects us! To a certain degree of course."_ Cried Tarquin, pointing to two cables plugged into the side of the of the control console in front of them.

" _Tarquin, you're a genius! I'm glad to have you on the squad! Any ideas where these deposit thingies might be?"_ Called out Hadley.

Tarquin nodded, and pointed down to the maintenance tunnels they'd been down earlier. " _Down that way! While we were running I saw some doorways leading to spare power rooms. But you've got to be careful! If I'm not mistaken, they might be guarded!"_

"RIGHT THEN! THAT SETTLES THAT THEN. LET'S DO IT TO IT BOYS!" Boomed Metallix Beta, calling Charles and Balthazar to help him with one cable, while Gallagher, Hadley and Alastair handled the other.

 **Meanwhile, elsewhere in the top floor of the Citadel…..**

"HAH!" Jeered Robotnik, slicing at Kretin's katana as they crazily duelled. The Robian swash-buckled in return, aiming for the Dictator's chest, but the fat man's mechanical arms were surprisingly quite fast at blocking at these attacks, swirling in different directions to make sure that his opponent did not have the upper hand.

The duel then became more violent and frantic, as the pair swished and swashed like an array of fish swarming about in an invisible body of water. Neither really seemed to be on the defensive, as they became bruised, battered, and overall in bad shape as they both inflicted equal damage onto each other.

Robotnik was like a cut-throat, pouncing at his enemy's torso to tear as it open as hard as he could. But despite how tough metal was, his Rapier sword was still pretty strong. Could he succeed in beating Kretin after all?

 **Back in the maintenance tunnels…**

Now that they'd gotten the cables down from the top of the generators and were thankful that they were extremely long and might just be able to extend it enough to reach the energy deposit stations, they had to separate and head off into different maintenance tunnels.

"COME ON BOYS, WE CAN MAKE IT! OUR WHOLE EXISTENCE DEPENDS ON MAKING THIS WORK!" Cried Beta, leading Charles and Balthazar into a large control room where the deposit station lay at the far end.

But as soon as the three Freedom Fighters emerged in the room, electric walls suddenly emerged, trapping them in. Though the cable hadn't been damaged by the walls, clearly it would be insane to try and pass through one of the walls themselves. But what could they do?

" _That way sirs! I think this some sort of maze trap, but we might just be able to cross through it!"_ Noticed Balthazar, who suddenly dashed through a gap between the electric walls.

Though upon reaching another section of the room, the three were once again surrounded by even more electrical walls!

"OH GOOD GOLLY GRIEF! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!" Gulped Beta electronically, not knowing which way to go.

" _WE'RE NOT DONE YET, PAL!"_ Snapped Charles, pulling the cable, Beta and Balthazar through yet another gap.

While those three were busy having an electrical nightmare of navigating a maze, the other three Freedom Fighters were having troubles of their own.

" _Alastair! GET DOWN!"_

Both Gallagher and Hadley let go of their cable, and dived forwards to push Alastair down to the metal floor as laser machine guns poking out of walls at the other end of the room fired rapidly.

In order to make sure they and the cable weren't hit, the Robians were forced to hide behind a pillar, with the guns only poking back into their holes once intruders weren't detected.

" _There's no way we can get past those guns by just running! Either they'll hit us or the cable within seconds!"_ Groaned Alastair. " _There must be some other way around!_ "

Suddenly, Hadley called out; " _Wait! Do you see that over there? There's a couple of security cameras above the guns!"_

Gallagher and Alastair carefully looked in the direction that Hadley was pointing, only to discover that he was indeed correct; five security cameras were stationed in different positions around the guns, and were probably what was being used by the Renegade Computer to detect intruders in the room and therefore enable the guns to be fired.

Alastair grinned with great pleasure. " _Of course, that's it! If we take those cameras out, then the guns won't fire at us! After all, how the computer know where we are?"_ Grabbing his own laser rifle that was made up of several detachable parts in his stealth kit bag, he spoke; " _Hadley, while Balthazar and I don't usually trust you and Gallagher with your nonsense antics and tomfoolery, I'll have to let you take this to shoot them down, while Gallagher and I draw the guns' fire. Understood?"_

Hadley was surprised, but quickly took the gun and saluted; " _Yes sir Alastair. Good to serve you!"_

And with that, Gallagher and Alastair dashed off, and with bravery, poked round different pillars to let the guns fire at them, just to buy Hadley some time. As the rifle had only just been assembled, it took some time to get used to its aiming reticule. Nevertheless, he fired the first shot by poking round the corner of his pillar, only just managing to hit the first camera and barely avoiding return fire from the guns. How long could he and the others hold out?

 **Back in the electrical maze….**

"THEY'RE CLOSING IN ON US, REAL FAST!" Gasped Beta, as he, Charles and Balthazar ran for their lives amongst the electric walls. Not only was the stress of holding onto the cable while running getting to them, but now the electric walls were moving right towards them!

" _I KNOW! JUST KEEP RUNNING! WE'RE NEARLY THERE!"_ Ordered Charles to his friend. He was desperate to stop Kretin for once and for all, especially because he was angry about how the computer's interference with his programming had made him feel so manipulated by a process he had invented!

But though they ran as fast they could, Balthazar noticed that two electrical walls to the side of them were suddenly bulging out bursts of electricity! " _Sirs! INCOMING!"_

At the moment they had almost reached the energy deposit station, all three of them were struck by the electricity bursts from the electric walls. Collapsing, they accidentally let go of the cable, which was mere metres from its destination.

"GAHHHH-ARRGHHHHHHHHHHH!" Screamed Beta, unable to comprehend this much electricity.

" _UNGGHHHHH-YAAAHHH!_ " Groaned Balthazar. Now the walls were almost right next to them!

But Charles was able to recover quickly, as the electrical burst had only hit his mechanical claw arm and conducted the electricity. "URGHHH….CAN'T GIVE UP…..NOT NOW….H-R-RARRGH…" With courage, he crawled slowly but surely towards the cable, grabbing hold of it, just as the electrical walls closed in on him. The pain was excruciating, and the old Robian could barely hold onto the cable, as his whole robotic body was electrocuted, even making his metal moustache droop.

But he didn't stop moving. With all he could do to resist the pain, he re-directed his power to nothing but moving forwards. His digital eyes faded out to their minimum size, as he blindly crawled with the cable closer and closer to the energy deposit station. But even with resistance to the pain, it looked like he couldn't make it, and finally collapsed right in front of the station.

"C-CHARLES!" Gasped Beta, just recovering from the electrical burst. Noticing that the electrical walls on his end were closing in as well, he quickly crawled forwards, grabbing the cable himself and also trying to resist the electricity. With great effort, he finally got the cable in, and sighed with relief as the electric walls suddenly vanished.

Collapsing next to Charles, he watched as Balthazar also recovered and picked the two friends up, coughing electronically as he told them; _"You did it guys…You did it…Come on….Let's get outta here….."_

 **At the same time, in the other energy room…**

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT! BANG! RATATATATAT-BANG! RATATAT-BANG!

" _So far so good Alastair! I got four of them so far, but I can't reach the last camera!_ " Growled Hadley. Everytime he tried peering around a pillar to try and shoot at the last security camera, he was instantly fired at by the laser guns, and had no time to focus his aim and shoot the camera. Not even Alastair and Gallagher's distractions seemed to be working, as the guns were now firing more at him!

" _The Computer must be getting smarter, it knows what we're trying to do!_ " Commented Alastair, sneaking with Gallagher behind some more pillars. " _And I do hope that the others managed to fit in their cable, cause I don't know if we can keep dodging those laser shots. They're much faster now!_ "

" _But there's gotta be something we can do Alastair, we can't just sit here!_ " Snapped Gallagher.

" _Wait! Hang on a second. If this computer's figured out what we're doing, then there must be some way to confuse it. It runs off logic, right?"_ Suggested Hadley.

" _I guess so but how's that going to help us?_ " Wondered Alastair, puzzled with his comrade meant.

" _Well Alastair, if there's one thing Gallagher and I learned during our training, confuse the enemy!"_ Smirked Hadley, pointing his gun this time at the holes in which the guns poked out, and once again poked and fired, this time destroying one of the turret guns, which suddenly caused the others to stop firing, as they instead swivelled in multiple directions, likely as the computer was unsure what to do.

With only two shots left, Hadley quickly blasted the security camera and then another turret gun, confusing the computer further.

" _NOW BOYS!_ " Shouted Hadley to Gallagher and Alastair, who promptly grabbed the cable and rushed as fast as they could just before the computer took the next best stop and fired everywhere and anywhere in a last desperate attempt to stop the intruders. But luckily, just in the nick of time, the cable was plugged straight into the energy deposit station, and so the guns stopped firing, with the power needed to control them stripped from the computer.

" _Well done Hadley! Perhaps you're not as crazy as you look after all. Don't know about Gallagher though._ " Alastair congratulated his comrade.

" _Hey! I helped too!_ " Moaned Gallagher.

Ignoring Gallagher's complaint, Alastair quickly spoke; " _Oh dear! We've got no time to lose, let's hurry and find the others!_ "

 **Soon, back at the generator platform…**

Coughing and spluttering a bit of smoke from his mouthpiece, Charles lay somewhat damaged next to Beta and Balthazar, who were also a little battered from their misadventure in the electrical wall maze. Behind them was the wreckage of several Badniks and Troopers, who had been overpowered by the immense amounts of Robian Renegadists, literally fighting to the death merely because the renegade computer demanded that they do. And now that the cables had been plugged into their correct spots, there was a chance to stop the second EMP blast! Only now, they had less than 3 minutes to go before it occurred.

Soon enough, Alastair, Gallagher and Hadley finally emerged from the maintenance tunnels, and rushed towards their comrades, concerned for their safety.

" _C-C-OUGH….YOU DID IT M'BOYS…WELL DONE…_ " Coughed Charles, clearly exhausted and in a bad state.

" _Oh my gosh! Are you three all right?"_ Cried Alastair.

Beta coughed a little as well, but made a quick quip; "WE'LL SURVIVE. YOU CAN'T KILL A ROBOT AFTER ALL-HA HA…."

" _But you_ _ **can**_ _destroy one. Sir, we've not got much time!"_ Shouted Tarquin from above. He was climbing down from the top of the generator, and seemed to look quite panicked. " _I've done all I can sir, I even changed the energy type. But that means that this is it guys…..W-w-we won't be able to hold onto our free will after this….The blast won't be as strong, but it will tamper with Robian programming. The computer's influence will be removed…"_

As soon as Tarquin got down, the rest of the Rogan Squad and Charles all came close together and sat down, waiting for the blast to arrive, all with a gloomy look on their robotic faces. " _W-W-WE'VE DONE IT….WE'VE FINALLY BEAT GENERAL KRETIN….A JOB WELL DONE BOYS….BUT-_ "

Charles trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. He knew that he was going to change back into a mindless drone, but he didn't like it. And nor did Beta.

"NO! I REFUSE TO LET THIS HAPPEN. YOU HEAR ME?! ALL OF YOU, LOOK AT ME RIGHT NOW! WHEN THAT BLAST COMES, DON'T YOU DARE CHANGE ON ME! DON'T YOU DARE!" Boomed Beta, suddenly furious in his tone.

But he couldn't say anything else before suddenly; the generator burst into action!

KRAKDOOOZOOOOM!

The second blast was not an electrical wave of energy like before, but it was nonetheless a gruesomely powerful blast of some type of energy.

" _HARRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ " Growled Charles, as did the Rogan Squad, clutching their heads in pains as they growled like ordinary Robians. In a purely horrifying sight, they squirmed and almost screamed in place as their programming was tampered with, locking their minds into a confined layer of code.

But they were not the only ones. All around the entire Citadel, Robian Renegadists writhed in pain as their programming too was re-written. They collapsed simultaneously, as Agronian Soldiers and Badniks alike watched in confusion.

Even Dr. Robotnik, who fought hard in his duel against General Kretin, heard the sudden sounds of roboticised Mobian screams and growls echo across the whole building. Strangely, General Kretin was at first not affected, presumably as he was the first one to have altered programming by the computer.

Still though, Kretin snarled at Robotnik in fury, and continued to duel with him. The Robian stabbed his way towards the Dictator, furiously lunged and clawed at Robotnik, determined to destroy him once and for all. And Robotnik, despite his decent fighting skills with a sword, was unable to keep up; Kretin pounced on him as soon as his guard was down, and now the Overlander found himself on the floor, ready to be sliced at by his opponent!

" **DIE ROBOTNIK! 01000101 01010010 01010010 01001111 01010010 00101110 00101110 00101110 01001110 01001111 00101110 00101110 01001110 01001111 00100001….NO!** NO! **"**

Suddenly, Kretin too was writhing in pain, dropping his katana as he collapsed backwards. At last, his Kretin persona was being stripped away, being replaced once again by the roboticised form of Armand D'Coolette.

Robotnik immediately got up, and picked up his opponent, exclaiming to him; "You fool! You thought you could defeat me in battle and claim my place as Dictator? You never stood a chance. You and your filthy Renegadists. Rebels never learn, do they? You can never overthrow true power!"

Without warning, Robotnik then in a fit of rage kicked his enemy straight into a pit several metres deep. He had won.

 **Back at the main generator platform….**

" _A-A-R-R-R-R—G-H-H-H-H-H-HARRRRGHHHH!"_

Beta remained horrified at what he seeing was seeing; the six Robians in front of him who'd saved his mechanical life were now suffering from the same process he'd pretty much been forced into by the Renegadists. But he couldn't just stand there and watch! He had to do something quick…

"STOP!" He boomed, kneeling down to face the Robians and they continued to scowl in pain. "CHARLES! ALASTAIR! BALTHAZAR! GALLAGHER! HADLEY! TARQUIN! ALL OF YOU, LISTEN TO ME! I KNOW YOU'RE STILL IN THERE, BUT DON'T LISTEN TO WHATEVER YOUR PROGRAMMING'S TELLING YOU. IT'S WRONG. YOU HEAR ME? WRONG! DON'T THINK ABOUT ROBOTNIK! PUT HIM OUT OF YOUR MIND!"

But they were struggling to even listen to him, leaving the mechanical frustrated. If they were able to prevent his mind being re-written by a whole new set of programming, what was stopping him from doing the same? If only there was a way to break down barriers separating his friends' minds from the Robian Programming!

Beta thought hard. He didn't know if this were possible, but he had to try one thing. "CHARLES. REMEMBER SONIC?" He spoke calmly, without any urgency. Charles suddenly paused for a moment, letting go of his head and turning to face Beta. "YES, THAT'S IT. YOUR GREAT NEPHEW. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG! HERO OF MOBIUS, AND YOU MUST BE SO PROUD OF HIM….AND HIS BROTHER MANIC, HIS SISTER SONIA, AND ALL THE OTHER FREEDOM FIGHTERS!"

" _FREEDOM FIGHTERS…..PRIORITY 1…..DETAIN BY ORD-E-R-OF-R-OB-O-T-N-I-K"_ Stuttered Charles, struggling in his computer brain. He seemed to be switching from a drone-like state to his normal self, but couldn't quite seem to decide which one to stick with!

"NO CHARLES. FREEDOM FIGHTERS FIGHT ROBOTNIK. REMEMBER WHAT SONIC DOES? FIGHT ROBOTNIK! YOU'VE FOUGHT ROBOTNIK, HAVEN'T YOU? FIGHT ROBOTNIK, JUST LIKE YOUR NEPHEW!" Beta shouted, his tone having turned into one of great authority.

" _F-R-R-R-REEDOM FIGHT. FI-I-I-I-IGHT ROBOTNI-K-K…."_ Replied Charles, his digital eyes on his eye screen suddenly electrifying. The connection was breaking apart!

"THAT'S IT CHARLES! MAKE SONIC PROUD!" Beta cheered on, next kneeling down to the rest of the Rogan Squad.

"ALASTAIR, BALTHAZAR, GALLAGHER, HADLEY, TARQUIN. CAN YOU HEAR ME? REMEMBER HOW DESPERATE YOU ARE TO GET HOME TO NORTH ISLAND. YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR MONTHS. REMEMBER WHAT YOU TOLD ME? WE NEED TO WARN NORTH ISLAND ABOUT ROBOTNIK INVADING. FREEDOM FIGHT! YOU NEED TO RESIST HIM. YOU'VE GOT TO BEAT ROBOTNIK! DEFEAT ROBOTNIK! FIGHT HIM!" Beta yelled, hoping he could make an impact towards them.

" _Freedom fight…..ersss…..Priori-Fight…..R-r-r-Robotnik…..FiGhT RoBoTnIk!"_

And now all five members of the Rogan Squad let go of their heads, turning towards Beta as their digital eyes also electrified. And now he could see a far more internal struggle on their faces, as they battled against the programming, almost creating some sort of emotional connection to crack holes in the barriers of the programming. But would it work?

" _FREEDOM…."_ Spoke Charles.

" _Fight….."_ Gallagher finished the sentence.

" _Fight Robotnik. Fight Robotnik. Fight Robotnik!"_ All the Robians roared, finally standing up as their eyes stopped electrifying, and returned to normal. It looked Beta's talking had worked!

" _BETA….MY OLD FRIEND…IT'S WORKING! I CAN FEEL MY OWN MIND AGAIN! I'M NOT COMPLETELY ROBOTICISED!"_ Charles suddenly cried, excited as looked around.

" _Me too! I can't feel anything left of Robotnik's influence!"_ Agreed Balthazar, as his comrades all cheered with joy.

But then, unexpectedly, an enormous explosion suddenly erupted! Part of the roof of the Citadel had been destroyed, and all one could see through it was the shape of Doctor Robotnik, being lifted up by Badniks up into his personal Hover Unit.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DESTROY! If the Agronians won't comply to my rule then we'll just make them! RELEASE THE BOMBS!" He shouted in rage to a Trooper on his comlink. Once he and his chief scientist Komanz were finally lifted aboard the Hover Unit, they quickly zoomed off into the distance, and out of sight.

" _UH GUYS? I THINK IT'S TIME WE HIGHTAILED IT OUT OF HERE!"_ Suggested Charles, motioning for his comrades to follow him and they headed down to the monorail system where they'd left the Mobian Children waiting for them.

At once they manoeuvred their way down to the monorail system area one floor below the generator platform, where Porker Lewis greeted them; "Y _-y-y-you d-d-d_ -did it **! Tho** se Ro **BIANS…THEY'RE G** one!"

But Beta's only reply, apart from snatching back his tie and grey blazer, was to quip; "AND WE SHOULD BE TOO! GET OUT US OF HERE PORKER, HURRY!"

The urgency was incredible; once everyone was inside the monorail vehicle, which felt similar to a minecart but more advanced, everyone braced themselves as the vehicle drove across the monorail at a very high speed.

But soon, Gallagher looked behind, only to watch as the top floor was bombed by Robotnik's somewhat battered Command Ship. " _There goes the computer!"_ He grinned, finding it amusing that Robotnik had unknowingly given the computer its comeuppance. But all of a sudden, he gasped in horror as debris from the top floor suddenly crashed through a hole in the ceiling, and began tumbling down towards them, as did more and debris.

" _Incoming debris! FASTER! Faster!_ " Cried Gallagher.

"I _ **-i-I-i-**_ C- **AN'T**!" Gulped Porker. He'd pushed the speed lever to its maximum setting, so there was no way to go faster.

Beta, who had finally put his tie and blazer back on over his rather crippled white shirt, suddenly noticed a flash of light that zoomed past the monorail vehicle. It expanded and flashed extremely bright for a few seconds, until the debris was strangely out of sight.

Eventually, much to their relief, they'd managed to reach the bottom floor. They clambered out of the monorail, only to find themselves amongst a group of panicked Agronian citizens and Soldiers running for their lives as a fire alarm blared out to warn everyone of the incoming danger.

"OH GOOD GOLLY. ROBOTNIK'S GONE NUTS! AT THIS RATE HE'LL PROBABLY START BOMBING NEW TOKYO!" Growled Beta, upset by the chaos that the Dictator had caused.

FLASH! The bright light from earlier then returned, and assumed a familiar shape that Beta, Gallagher and Balthazar had seen earlier; The Queen!

This time she was facing the other direction, looking at something that clearly wasn't there, at least from what Beta and his Robian friends could see.

" _ALEENA?_ " Gasped Charles emotionally, surprised to see the apparition of his sister appearing just as how Beta had described. " _MY DEAR SISTER, YOU'RE ALIVE!_ "

But upon hearing Charles' voice, Aleena turned towards them with a look of pure horror on her face. She was scared out of her wits, and her voice seemed to show that the most; " **Charles! Beta! Please! You must run! I can't stay long, if he finds me, it's all over-I….** "

Before Charles could even begin to say a word to ask what she meant, the Queen looked over her shoulder in shock at something only she could see, and cried; " **OH NO! He's coming! I have to go! I'm sorry!** " And then she vanished into thin air, leaving behind nothing but a trail of glowing smoke.

Beta was bewildered. He remembered how Aleena said they'd see each other again soon, and that had just happened. But clearly something was wrong with her, wherever he was. He wanted to think about it now but it had to wait until they had escaped. Plus, he'd be able to tell the Sonic Underground about it once he was back in Robotropolis.

"CHARLES….PLEASE, DON'T JUST STAND THERE. COME ON! WE'LL DISCUSS IT ON THE WAY." Beta pleaded, noticing how his friend was merely standing in place amongst all the commotion.

"CHARLES! NOW!" Beta boomed, suddenly dragging his friend along as he, the Rogan Squad and the Mobian Children all dashed out of the front doors of the Citadel, rushing up the hills of the grey desert to pack into their high-speed trekking hover-car.

And so they drove off into the distance, watching in horror as around them was pure blazing destruction. Robotnik was on a total rampage, likely because of his patience being pushed by the EMP blast and the refusal of the Agronian Soldiers to give up the fight against his forces. Several buildings in the city were set ablaze; many Agronians were driving in their own vehicles as fast as they could to anywhere that Robotnik was not causing mayhem and destruction. Truly the Dictator's sanity was something easily fractured, as it was now personified by what the seven robots could witness.

Hoping to reach the coast and maybe even find one of Robotnik's hover jets used by Trooper Badniks and such. But first they had to drop off the children!

Eventually, after a whole hour of driving amongst scared Agronians, they at last reached the coast. Everything for a while though simply went so fast for Beta that it was almost like a blur in his memory.

In the future he'd likely only remember flashes of the events. For example, them finding a boat in which Agronian refugees were packing themselves in, ready to leave Agron in search of somewhere safe enough to live away from Robotnik's rule temporarily. And soon, scrambling all over the coast of Agron, searching for a Hover Jet as Troopers all around closed in to capture Agronians attempting to escape. Mere insanity and madness was all the words that could be used to describe these frantic events. Just that.

" _Hurry up Commander Beta! HURRY! THERE'S A JET OVER THERE! RUN, JUST RUN!"_

Purely exhausted and still suffering slightly from the effects of the electric wall trap, as was Charles, Beta only just managed to hear Balthazar rambling as he and the Rogan Squad approached a Hover Jet. They all wore their mechanical legs out just trying to reach the vehicle that nobody noticed a Trooper behind them!

The Trooper fired at them, recognising them from an attack that had happened recently. ***

" _ARRRGGH!_ " Yelped Charles electronically. He suddenly fell to the ground, holding his leg in pain as the Trooper approached.

"CHARLES! NO!" Beta shouted, afraid for his friend.

Charles wasn't done yet though; as the Trooper came closer, he got up despite his grazed metal leg, and furiously lashed out at the robot with his claw arm, doing whatever he could to damage it.

But unfortunately for him, more Troopers were approaching. And he was the only thing that stood in their way. If he tried to run over to his friends into the Jet, the Troopers would shoot him down in no time. So there only one thing for it.

" _BETA, GO!_ " Ordered Charles, fighting off the crowd of Troopers as much as he could.

"NO! WE'RE NOT LEAVING YOU BEHIND!" Snapped Beta. But he had no choice. In a panic, Gallagher and Hadley sadly grabbed onto the mechanical hedgehog, and hastily pulled him aboard, as the robot stared miserably at the sight of his friend, being pummelled by a gang of Troopers. "CHARLES!"

There was no more sound reaching the audio receptors of Metallix Beta, at least not for now. The Hover Jet took off, with everyone else sitting in the passenger seats. Alastair sat at the front and piloting.

Beta spoke not a word after they had departed from Agron. There no sense in turning back now, Charles would've already been gone by the time they tried to return and rescue him. So instead, they were drifting off above the Mobian Sea, sitting beside their only Commander; Metallix Beta, member of the Robolandian Resistance and good friend of the royal hedgehogs of Moboland, otherwise known as the Sonic Underground.

And all they could do, with sympathy alone, was remain silent.

 **END OF EPISODE 15, THE ROBIAN RESISTANCE AND SEASON 3**.

* * *

 _REFERENCES_

* Watch the very first episode _**Beginnings**_ to see how it all started for the Sonic Underground!

** Remember him? He appeared at the start of Chapter 7; _**Genesis of the Badniks**_!

*** Back in Chapter 13, there was a big battle on an armoured base between some Badniks and our heroes here.


	16. Planet of Miracle

**Somewhere in Robotropolis…**

Sonic couldn't believe the situation he'd just gotten himself into! The room was pretty dark and desolate, with only a few passageways for him to go through.

The mission assigned to him suddenly was something he regretted taking part in, as he felt like he was completely lost. There were no sounds of humming electrical machines that made up the ambience of Robotropolis, just the sound of him breathing and the sound of his footsteps.

This place felt like an endless maze, and there was presumably no exit in sight. Still, he'd made it this far. So surely he could find the entrance, leave through there and call it a day?

But the thought of something hidden in the passageways scared him. He couldn't take it anymore; he had only himself and his brain to get through this mess, and for some reason he had no medallion to create light to guide his way.

Why not? What had happened to his medallion? Had he lost it along the way without noticing? No, that couldn't be it; he knew for sure that he'd entered the maze like area without it. Something was wrong, dreadfully wrong.

THUD.

Sonic instantly jumped out of his skin, panicking as he peered at his surroundings; what was that sound? Had a robot entered the area? He couldn't tell. Now he was even more scared, unnaturally so.

No longer treading carefully, he manoeuvred across a few lone cables and metal blocks in this incredibly odd and out of place structure, not even knowing where he was going….

Out of nowhere, came a large flash! Sonic covered his eyes as he was briefly blinded by the bright light. Once it had disappeared, he couldn't see where it came from, and now he began run aimlessly. Escape was the only thing on his mind now.

Though the little Hedgehog ran and ran, he could not prepare himself for the biggest surprise of all, as a fiery burst painfully embedded itself into his body with a gruesome impact before the sound of an electrically produced laser hit his ears.

But the screams did not last long, for they were silenced by an uncanny spark of electricity, as the Hedgehog toppled down and fell to pieces, screws of tin and copper bouncing on the floor as the parts of a hard robotic casing detached themselves and nearly crumbled into scrap metal, now lit by sudden lighting of an awakening powerhouse.

"Back off! That issss enough! The training ssssequence isss over!" Rasped out a calculating voice.

Stepping into view of "Sonic" 's attacker was a short, slimy Mobian Komodo Dragon with cyborg arms holding a digital checkboard. He was accompanied by an obese yet tall Overlander with a furiously brown moustache complimenting his sneer and cold blooded glowing red eyes staring down at a great accomplishment.

"Eggsellent Komanz! Eggsellent! The practice run worked PERFECTLY! The training robot didn't a chance against my new invention. Thanks to my genius and your minor enhancements, METAL SONIC is ready for Operation: Miracle! HAAHAHAHAHAHA!" Diabolically laughed Dr. Ivo Robotnik, his terrifying face spitting as he drowned himself in maniacal glory.

And so, standing by the destroyed Sonic training robot, the new Metal Sonic saluted its master, and primed its objective on one thing; DESTROY SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!

 **RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 ** _Sonic Underground: The Continuation_**

 ** _Season 4 Episode 1: Planet of Miracle_**

 **A dark evening in Robotropolis…**

For days on end, the mighty Robotnik Empire had been silent.

Though the mighty Dictator himself had recently led a full-on invasion of Agron in a desire to expand the power of his empire, he had not acted since, though there were rumours that he'd invaded North Island.*

Nevertheless, the Robolandian Resistance remained hard at work. Concerned about the lack of operations being carried out by Robotnik in recent times, they had devised a quick mission for their top members; the Sonic Underground, to perform.

So now the three royal Hedgehogs were hiding outside, in the deep atmospheric murkiness of a standard Robotropolis street, scouting for signs of Swat Bots that could potentially compromise their plan.

"How does it look Sonia?" Whispered Sonic, standing below his sister as she stared through some binoculars at the entrance to a large familiar building.

"Not good at all Sonic, you wouldn't believe how many guards are outside!" Muttered Sonia, handing the binoculars to Sonic so he could take a look.

As Sonic handled the Binoculars, he heard Manic sighing at the irony of the situation. "I can't believe Robotnik actually captured our old base! Cyrus said the Resistance was using it for 5 years before Robotnik found it." **

Sonic agreed; "I hear ya bro, but right now if we don't get the information from the data core in that facility, then ol' Egg Breath could strike at us at any moment. And the Resistance sure doesn't want a surprise attack."

"Right Sonic!" Sonia piped up. "So any idea how we're going to get inside?"

Sonic pondered for a moment. He knew that the old base, despite having been now turned into a facility that held all sorts of important data used by the Robotnik Empire, would more than likely still have some alternate entrances, seeing as the Resistance always made sure to add an escape route in case of trouble.

"Well sis, I do have one idea; the sewer!" Grinned Sonic, knowing full well how Sonia would react to this.

"The sewer?! Ey-yuck! No way am I going down that icky sewer. The last time we went down one, I had to spend weeks drying my favourite skirt before all the oil and slime was gone! And I do not wanna have to do that again!" Snapped Sonia.

"Oh come on now Princess, this is Manic's speciality! You don't want to disappoint your brothers, especially him, right? You really think Manic and I are going to get all upset over one slightly dirty sewer?" Jeered Sonic.

Manic quickly joined in; "Yeah S.A.P!*** Just remember that you're talking about my childhood home. We thieves learnt to live in the dark, cold and dirty tunnels of the city. You've just spoiled yourself living in a luxury home Sonia."

"But-" Sonia was about to start, before Sonic interrupted her.

"Well if you're not going to come with us-" Sonic playfully teased her, purposely letting himself also be cut off.

"Oh okay, okay!" Grumped Sonia. "Fine, I'll go through the stupid sewer. But I will never understand how you and Manic can even cope with that horrid place. Eeww!"

As searchlights scanned around the perimeter of the data network facility, Sonic knew it was time to make a move.

"This way guys!" The blue Hedgehog whispered, carefully walking towards the entrance to the oil sewer. While the smell was horrible as usual, he'd forced himself to grow used to the polluted atmosphere of the city ever since Robotnik had turned it into a barely inhabited wasteland several months ago.

As soon as Sonia and Manic treaded as silently as possible to where Sonic was standing, they all hurriedly dashed into the oil sewer as soon as a searchlight began to shine their way, narrowly missing them.

"Man! Look at this place!" Breathed Manic, his eyes attracted to unusual shapes of scrap machines abandoned in the sewer. "There's a whole load of Buttnik's robots just stashed down here!"

Indeed he was correct; an unhealthy amount of derelict Badniks and Swat Bots had been unceremoniously dumped in the sewers, left to rust and decay as their power circuits slowly died away.

"I don't like the look of this. This is not what I hoped to find the sewer. What if they're still functioning? We gotta be Mondo careful guys." Sonic warned his siblings.

"I agree Sonic, let's move quietly." Nodded Sonia, who was still a little upset about taking the dirtiest route to the data network facility. "Ugh, even we're stepping through oil…"

Immediately, they proceeded in the direction of the little amount of light that shone through the sewers, trying not to alert the dormant Swat Bots and Badniks lying around of their presence. Unfortunately, because it was mostly dark, they couldn't see anything aside from light reflected off the walls. Manic especially felt pretty blinded by the shadowy view, having trouble telling where his feet were, so much that so he nearly stubbed his toe on the head of an older Swat Bot from before Robotnik's attack on Sanctuary!

"W-woah!" He cried, barely managing to keep his balance as his shoe scraped the side of the robotic head.

Hearing this, Sonic scolded back to his brother; "Shhh! Manic, watch your step bro! Can't you be like a sewer rat for a while?"

"Sorry Sonic." Sighed Manic, a little annoyed with his brother telling him off. While this sort of thing had happened before whenever Manic would sneakily try to steal something, it appeared that Sonic was becoming much bossier and a little rude now.

But while the three outlaws kept treading through all the sludge and muck of polluted oil, none of them looked back to notice the flickering green light of the Swat Bot head, now jerking slowly as it put its unfriendly gaze on them….

"Aha, here we are!" Grinned Sonic, finding a hatch above a slightly steep slope. "Ungh!" Lifting it up, he quickly helped his siblings up.

"Good job Sonic! Now let's get this done with quickly, I've had enough of this icky oil." Groaned Sonia.

Now that they'd climbed out of the hatch, they were finally inside the data core room!

"Woah! We hit the jackpot guys! Let's do it to it!" Grinned Sonic, rushing towards a console in the middle of the room. Though he and the others still tried to focus on the mission at hand, they couldn't help but feel surprised at how much the room had changed since Robotnik had captured the building. No more was the red colour scheme of the metal that covered the walls, floor and ceiling; it had been replaced by a cold naval blue tint, complementing the dark and foreboding atmosphere that all of Robotropolis now had. The controls on the consoles had also been completely refurbished, no longer made of crude stolen Robotnik Empire tech, but clean metallic keyboards and other gizmos that had been manufactured especially for the facility. In fact, aside from the location of each console being the same as it had in the past, it felt like a completely different room, what with all the extra balconies added above the main area.

The centre console that Manic and Sonia were now hacking into using Sonia's computer (which had been upgraded recently by Cyrus), had been completely expanded, now covering more of the floor lit by a giant light above them, still clinging from several wires connected to the ceiling. The same glowing sphere that acted as a projector to show them the Predator only one year ago now projected a long layer of complicated binary code, used to disguise all the important information that the evil Dictator would not want falling into the hands of the Resistance!

But as usual, Sonic was getting impatient. He always strived for action and stealth on these missions, rather than just waiting around for the technology experts to handle stuff like this. "Hey sis, I'm waaaaaittting!"

"Sonic, will you be quiet! I've only just finished cracking half of the code! Why don't you and Manic watch the doors, so that we're not ambushed by anyone. Besides, I rather this mission wasn't compromised by YOUR impatience!" Snapped Sonia.

"Oh don't mind me then Princess, just being the hero of Mobius, that's all. The Hedgehog waits for no one! Especially in Robo-country." Smirked Sonic.

Suddenly, Manic called out to both of them; "Hey! Over there! A Swat Bot! It's heading for the security alarm controls!"

Unfortunately, he had spoken too soon. The alarm blazed off, activating as many flashing red lights as possible. The Swat Bot turned back to face the Freedom Fighters, now backing off as they heard loud stomping coming from nearby doors which opened to reveal legions of Swat Bots just waiting to attack them!

"PRIORITY ONE: HEDGEHOG." They all droned at once, lifting up their arms to fire deadly lasers in their enemies' path.

"Uh-oh. Mondo problemo!" Groaned Sonic, touching his medallion to activate its transformation into a laser firing electric guitar.

As his siblings did the same, they had barely time to react to the lasers suddenly launching in their direction! Then as quickly as possible, they retaliated, blasting back at them with their own weapons, mostly keeping on the defence to buy time for Sonia's computer to finish its job.

"Woah!" Cried Manic, narrowly dodging one long laser bolt as he and Sonic dived for cover behind one of the other consoles in the room. "How did that Swat Bot even get in?"

"Wait a sec-it's a! Manic, is that the Swat Bot that you-" Sonic angrily stated before Manic quickly interrupted him with the rest of his sentence; "Accidentally nudged in the sewer? Errr….Yeah it might be."

"Oh Manic, you idiot! Next time we stick close together in the dark, okay?!" Sonic berated him, while also quickly firing round the corner of the console to fend off the closest Swat Bots.

Manic didn't get the chance to reply though; Swat Bots approached from even more directions, leaving no room for error for his counter-attack against them. Sonic took this opportunity to leap upwards and dive into a couple of Swat Bots, take them out with one big Sonic Punch, then immediately zoom to safety, right next to Sonia.

"Sonic! Can you lead some of them away? We're still not done yet!" Shouted Sonia, dodging as many laser bolts as possible while protecting her computer from being blown up.

"Are Chili Dogs the best food ever?" The blue hedgehog sneered, overconfident as usual.

"Alright, alright. Dumb question, just get on with it!" Sonia muttered, beginning to struggle with her defence. "Manic, get over here and help me!"

With Manic quickly obliging and rushing to her rescue, Sonic sped up to a staircase above some Swat Bots and yelled at them; "Hey butt-bots! I'm over here!"

Within nanoseconds, the mindless drones attempted to scorch the Freedom Fighter, who playfully dodged the lasers as if he were dancing at a disco, using lots of little sidesteps. "Hah-hah-ha. Is that all ya got bozos? Yawn. Let's see how fast ya get then. Adios!"

Dashing up the stairs, Sonic then quickly skidded to a halt as a nearby door opened to reveal the unfriendly sight of an orange Swat Tank. "Yikes! Someone raised the ugly level in this joint!" He cried, before performing a backflip to avoid the Tank's incoming fire.

"Wuh-uh oh!" Sonic realised that the Swat Bots were still coming up the staircase, and fast!

Thinking quickly, he made another large jump, and using his spin attack he was able to pound the Swat Tank down, forcing it into its wheel mode without the Swat Bot pilot intending it to. Grinning at the apparent brilliance of his idea, he made one last quip to the approaching bots; "Hey lead-heads! Ever played bowling before? Incoming!"

Then without warning, he somehow managed to charge up a heavily fast and powerful spin attack just by rolling on the spot in his spiky curled up form, then bolted into the back of the Swat Tank, sending it tumbling on its wheels down the staircase and knocking away every single Swat Bot in its path! "Woo hoo! And the Hedgehog scores ten out of ten!" He jeered, clapping his hands together.

Back on the ground floor, Manic and Sonia were forced to watch each other's backs as the Swat Bots offensive manoeuvers became more and more ferocious! With her accordion, Sonia did all she could to fight like a fearless warrior, getting some decent shots on some of her attackers, but Manic with his outstanding drumming skills erupting a few lasers at more robots was just as crucial. Unfortunately, his usual way of getting his siblings out of trouble did not seem to be working.

"Sonia, I don't understand. It's not working, I can't cause any tremors with my drums anymore!" Manic reported, annoyed as he did everything he could to unlock the earth-shaking abilities of his magic drum kit.

"Have you used lots of power?!" Sonia asked, still focused on the incoming Swat Bots.

"No! My Medallion's fine, but all I can do is use lasers!" Manic sighed.

"Then it's a good thing that the computer's finally cracked the code. We've got all the info we need!" Sonia grinned, unplugging the computer and shoving it into her backpack. "But now I don't have a clue how we're gonna get out of here!"

The Swat Bots had now surrounded them, also joined by walking Swat Tanks like the one Sonic had taken care of earlier. With no choice but to back away and keep their instrument weapons trained on the mindless drones that walked ever so closely, the two Hedgehogs knew they were in big trouble. "Sonic! Anytime now…."

Hearing Sonia's call for assistance, Sonic finishing punching a large blazing hole through yet another Swat Bot on the higher floors, and gasped at what he saw from looking from above the balcony; "On my way guys!"

Bolting across to the top floor to get a better view, he knew that he had to find a way to take out the robots instantly, as by the time he could begin to destroy a good number of them, the others would've already gotten to his siblings. So he promptly slid his eyes around for anything useful to help him, and spotted the cables holding the large lamp.

"Bingo!" He clicked his fingers. "Watch out sibs, INCOMING!" Instantly, the blue Hedgehog buzzsawed at the cables, chopping them to the last inner thread, as Manic and Sonia screamed before diving for cover.

CRASH! The light effortlessly bulldozed right on top of the Swat Bots, preventing any chance of them of reacting to impact afterwards, thanks the heat and shards of glass from the giant bulb damaging their outer casing even more.

As Sonic jumped down from the balcony, he immediately went to his siblings' side and asked: "You guys okay?"

"We'd feel better if that wasn't such a close call Bro. You nearly crushed us!" Complained Manic, helping Sonia up, who reached towards her backpack to check if the computer was alright.

Sonic was not amused that he hadn't been congratulated for saving their lives. "Hey hey, cool it guys. It was either the lamp or them capturing you. Let's juice outta here!"

Grabbing onto them, he darted back in the direction of the sewer hatch as the alarms continued to roar loudly; more Swat Bots would soon be in their way!

Unfortunately for them, something new had begun to fill up the sewers, making their escape a much bigger challenge than anticipated….

"Woah! Mega Muck!" Sonic skidded to a halt as his two siblings kept holding onto each other.

"The whole Sewer's filling with it!" Cried Sonia, not wanting to get dirty OR drown in the sticky substance.

"Hurry Bro, take us back to the facility!" Suggested Manic, not liking the idea of getting stuck in the Mega Muck either.

But before Sonic could even begin to turn to face the hatch, a large slam told him that the Swat Bots outside had just sealed it! "I can't Manic, those metal-brains have trapped us! We'll just have to keep on juicin'."

And so with a burst of speed, Sonic blasted off like a small rocket, his legs blurring up incredibly fast as his speed increased. The friction between his speeding feet and the Mega Muck caused a large trail of splashes of the brown substance behind, with Manic and Sonia barely avoiding being hit by. They were lucky that this was only the liquidised form of the substance, which over time could build up to become a hard, sludgy, solid substance that would trap your feet and possibly your legs if they caught in it too!

"SONIC! THE LEVEL'S GETTING HIGHER!" Screamed Sonia, as the Mega Muck rose from being just a giant puddle on the ground to a hard solidifying liquid coming close to their bodies!

"Hold on sibs, the Sonic Express will get us outta here in no time!" Sonic grinned. Though he didn't like Mega Muck either, the thrill of the situation he was in at least put him in a jokey mood of sorts.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Cried Manic and Sonia simultaneously as the substance reached their torsos!

Sonic's speed had dramatically decreased, leaving him running in place trying to shake Mega Muck off his legs as much as possible so he could reach the exit. They were so close!

But as he did so, something caught his eye; another route! Higher above, some of the Mega Muck was flowing down from a ledge that was connected to another part of the sewer. If they could go that way, the level of the substance would be much lower, so they'd have more time to get out!

"Heh. Time to motor guys!" Roared the blue Hedgehog, suddenly launching into a super spin within the Mega Muck, not worrying about how dizzy his siblings were getting as he shook off some of the substance and blazed straight up the ledge.

Stopping his super-spin, he then forcibly charged into his brand new move again; the Spin Dash, then rocketed off towards an alternate exit, bursting out with lots of Mega Muck as he and siblings returned to their normal states and glided briefly before falling into a pool of oil beside a factory.

"WOAHHHH-" They cried, splashing hard in the black substance, which luckily only reached up to their chests.

"Wooo-hoo!" Cheered Sonic, the first to get up from the splash. "The Hedgehog has landed! Thank you, thank you."

Despite him rescuing them again, Manic and Sonia were still not pleased with Sonic's sudden rash actions, nearly risking their lives by not warning them about his strategies for escape.

"SONIC HEDGEHOG! Don't you ever dare do that again! No super-spins while we're hanging on to you. Couldn't you at least have warned us?!" Growled Sonia, furious with her brother.

"WHAT?! I got us out of there guys! What's wrong with that?" Sonic replied, getting into a defensive state of mind.

"Yeah, and made us dizzy after we were just about to drown!" Snapped Sonia.

"Sonia's got a point Bro. You can't be so reckless on missions like this. What if it backfires on us sometime in the future?" Manic added to the conversation, as the three Hedgehogs slowly helped each other with climbing out of the oil pool.

"Whatever. Let's just return to Headquarters, okay? Bummer…Don't I even get a thanks?" Grumbled Sonic, dodging Manic's question as he blazed off into a separate street.

 **Later, in the underground Resistance Headquarters….**

"Perfect Sonia! With this data we'll be able to know EXACTLY what Robotnik has been planning for the last few weeks. For now, I suggest you get a rest for a job well done." Smiled Cyrus, the head technician and co-strategy organiser for the Resistance, complimenting Sonia and Manic as they handed him the computer containing the data. The lion could now plug it into the base's own giant computer to analyse the stolen information.

But while two of the hedgehogs were discussing the success of their mission with their comrades, Sonic was not present in the main hall, having shut himself in his room out of frustration. Sonia and Manic's criticisms of his actions felt like backstabs, especially considering that he'd saved their lives!

Nevertheless, he needed to calm down to prevent getting into another argument, so he lay down on his bed and daydreamed for a while, wondering about recent happenings. Metallix Beta was unfortunately still missing in action, as he had not been found anywhere in Robotropolis ever since the failed mission to sabotage Robotnik's new base; the Egg Fortress.

At the moment, the Egg Fortress was hovering above the old Command Centre, which half of had been abandoned as it was no longer the main control point for Robotnik's operations. The Fortress was not only twice the size of the Command Centre, but it was built from the ground-up with more advanced technology compared to its predecessor, which was just a roboticised Castle formerly used by Queen Aleena when she was still the ruler of Moboland.

No action had been taken by the Resistance against the Egg Fortress since the mission where Beta had gone missing, but it was obvious that there was still some planning going on about a potential attack in the future based off Cyrus' recent comments on the matter. It was certainly a mission that Sonic couldn't wait for…..

"Sonic! Wake up!" Yelled Cyrus's voice from outside of his room. "Come down to the briefing room! We've worked out what Robotnik's plans are!"

Without replying, Sonic immediately leaped off his bed, touched the hand print unlocking mechanism for his door, and zoomed off past a surprised Cyrus straight towards the entrance to the briefing room, which was located at the ground floor next to the main lobby.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Sonic spoke as he stopped running and saw Manic, Sonia and Trevor gathered around a small console.

"Sonic! I see you beat Cyrus here." Piped up Trevor, adjusting his glasses. Just then, Cyrus exhaustingly passed through the doorway and into the briefing room, a little irritated that Sonic had not walked at a normal pace with him to the room rather than just speeding off and leaving him in the dust.

"T-trevor…..Just get t-t-he equipment set up, will ya?" Breathed the lion, going to sit on a stool as Trevor worked at the controls of the console to start displaying some blue interlaced projections relating to the mission that was about to be assigned.

One of the projections, interestingly enough, was of a small planet floating above a lake!

"This is the Miracle Planet." Trevor began his explanation. "Some of you may have heard of it before; it appears at Never Lake on Miracle Island every 35-42 years for one day. It was last sighted in 3199, exactly 39 years ago."

"And before Robuttnik took over. No wonder this hasn't been brought up before." Smirked Sonic, interested in the idea of visiting a new location.

"According to our data, Robotnik has set his sights on the planet, and plans to search for the so-called 'Time Stones' that legend says are used to control all of time on Miracle Planet, and possibly all of time itself!" Trevor continued, as the projection changed to show an ancient drawing of the Time Stones on a cave wall. "If Robotnik gets those Time Stones, then he'll be able to manipulate the history of Mobius at will!"

"No way! Manipulate Mobius' history? I don't think so Egg-Breath!" Growled Sonic at the thought of his nemesis gaining such power. He'd already fought so hard to stop Robotnik from gaining six of the mysterious Chaos Emeralds on South Island recently, so there was no way he was letting the Dictator get his hands on these either! ****

"Well don't worry Sonic, we won't let him!" Replied Cyrus, taking over for Trevor in the rest of the briefing. "Because we have a plan. We need you to go on a stealth mission and do some reconnaissance on Miracle Planet. Reports say that for the last two days, Robotnik has been sending several crystals and machinery onto the planet. But unfortunately the reports don't say how, because there's no way Miracle Planet would stay for more than one day on Mobius than it usually does. So you Sonic needs to see what's going on."

"And if something's up, should I go and stop it?" Asked Sonic.

"I wouldn't if I were you Sonic, we might need to launch a surprise attack on-" Cyrus was about to say before Sonic interrupted him.

"Cut it Cyrus! There's no way I'm gonna let you guys risk attacking Miracle Planet when what you really should be attacking soon is Buttnik's Egg Fortress!" The former Prince scowled.

After putting on a brand new black jean jacket, Cyrus responded with; "B-b-but Sonic! You can't just go and take the whole operation into your hands! The Resistance is supposed to working as a team on this!"

"Nuh-uh. Remember who's in charge of this Resistance buddy. The Sonic Underground is! And I'm its leader. So if anyone's gonna do the teamwork stuff, it's me, Manic and Sonia. After this whole Miracle Planet fiasco is sorted, we're gonna storm that Egg Fortress. And put Robotnik outta commission for a while!" Cried a determined yet cocky Hedgehog, slamming his fist on the console.

"Oh all alright Sonic….I suppose you could do more than reconnaissance for this mission…" Cyrus sighed. He was worried Sonic might say something like this.

"Sonic! Sonic! Open up, I need to see Sonic!" A child's voice suddenly erupted from outside the briefing room, accompanied by several knocks.

"Sounds like Tails!" Spoke Manic, quickly opening the door to let the two-tailed Fox cub inside.

Rushing towards Sonic, Tails panted a little, clearly having come far just to speak with his mentor. "Sonic, it's Amy….She's disappeared!"

"WHAT!" Yelled the blue Hedgehog. Now he was VERY annoyed!

 **A little later, up in Amy Rose's room….**

Even though he'd rarely been up to see Amy in her room, mostly on the account that she got on his nerves with her flirty nature towards him, Sonic couldn't deny to himself that her room was definitely tidier and cleaner than his own.

Of course there was the usual girly posters and other belongings that seem to fit the Pink Hedgehog quite well, including a photo of her with the Sonic Underground and a few other Freedom Fighters that had been taken only a few weeks ago, shortly after the incidents in Downunda.

But while the room was not entirely empty, there was one thing apart from Amy herself that was missing; her tarot cards!

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me. The girl's really driving me up the wall these days. How many times have I had to tell her, don't use those tarot cards!" Complained Sonic, as he Tails looked around the room. He'd just spotted that the cards were missing, remembering that Amy never left them behind wherever she went, even when on missions!

"Sonic, look! I think I found one here. She left one of them behind." Tails helpfully handed a lone tarot card he had found.

After staring at the slightly bent card, the former Prince groaned yet again and tossed it aside as he realised what Amy had done. "The Miracle Planet! I don't understand why, but that card showed a drawing of the exact place I'm heading for on my mission! If Amy's gone there, she'll be captured! Urrgh!"

"What're you going to do Sonic? You can't just abandon Amy y'know. I mean, Manic didn't abandon me, her and Cyrus back in Downunda, did he?" Tails asked, hoping to convince his mentor to forget his annoyances with Amy for the time being so he can rescue her.

"I hear ya big guy. I must admit, I can't forget my reputation!" Sonic smirked, showing a bit of his occasional selfish side. He did quite enjoy having some pride and attention as the so called "Hero of Mobius". "You know what? I'll go ask Manic to fetch something to get me to Miracle Island. This shouldn't be a major problemo! I hope…"

 **Later, in Manic's workshop…..**

"YOU WHAT?!" Exclaimed Sonic, disappointed when Manic had just told him that Tails' previously damaged biplane had still not been completely repaired. Instead it was lying half-fixed in the corner of Manic's small workshop that he'd created for himself in the Resistance Headquarters, separate from his own room. "Why have you been taking so long just to repair a simple plane? You promised Tails and I that you'd have it in ship-shape condition in no time."

"Hey! I already had enough trouble trying to save it from our old warehouse apartment without being caught by Swat Bots on patrol. Plus I got my hands full with other more important gadgets. So if you don't mind, I have some work to do." Manic protested.

Sonic gave a deep sigh, trying to calm down so he could still get Manic to help him in some way. Even if the Biplane wasn't repaired, surely there was something else he could use to get him to Miracle Island?

"Look Manic, couldn't you at least build me a rocket or something? The pontoons on the van got damaged the last time we tried to cross the Mobian sea." The blue hedgehog tried suggesting calmly.

Manic ceased his tinkering with one of his little gadgets, then turned around to greet his brother with a more friendly looking grin of ambition; "You know what bro? I might just happen to have something lying around here for ya…."

 **Soon, out in the Badlands of Roboland….**

The two hedgehog brothers, carrying a somewhat big rocket booster made up of Badnik and Swat Bot parts quickly dashed out into what was merely a deserted wasteland of grassless hills, barb wire, and all sorts of bad smells. Clearly, this was an area that had been long abandoned.

Carefully, they both placed the rickety rocket on the muddy ground, tilting it at the right angle so that there was enough space for the entire rocket fume to come out from the back. On top of the machine was a small but comfy chair that Sonic immediately leaped onto and a control panel surrounded by safety bars and a seat belt. Another chair was behind Sonic's one that Manic had intended for Amy to use once she'd been rescued.

"We're all set bro!" Exclaimed Manic, finishing some adjustments to the rocket's flight path on the control panel, which had a radar monitor showing the rocket's location on a decent map of Mobius. "This baby's got enough fuel for two trips, so don't waste it Sonic. As soon as you reach Miracle Island, make sure to cut the fuel line so that you'll land better."

"Land better?! What'd you mean? Has this thing got landing gear or what?" Gulped Sonic, not liking the idea of a potential crash landing.

"Sorry bro, didn't have time to implement any. Besides, I don't think I even designed it to use landing gear. You're on your own I'm afraid." Manic shrugged.

Just then Sonic began to grow a little concerned. He knew that Manic and Sonia were still a little mad at him for his recklessness during the data theft mission, and as their brother he felt the need to calm them down, even if it meant admitting he'd made mistakes; "Uh…Manic? About the mission. Could you tell Sonia that I'm sorry for-"

"Doing a super-spin that made her clothes dirty and our heads dizzy? Plus risking all of us getting drowned in Mega-Muck?" Manic teasingly finished his brother's sentence.

"Yeah yeah. You get the drill…Look, I didn't mean to put you all in danger there, I was just trying to get us out. What else could I have done?" Sonic shook his head, before resting it on his hand for a while.

"Chill out Sonic, it's okay! Between you and me, I kinda liked your new move you showed off during the escape. What was it called?" The green hedgehog whispered to his brother.

Playfully, the blue hedgehog whispered back with a good smirk; "The Spin-Dash."

"Right. Dare I say, it was past cool!" Manic approvingly answered.

Sonic mounted a pretend frown; "Past cool? Don't you mean…Way past cool?"

Manic chuckled at Sonic's insistence for a bit of pride; "Alright, fine. Your Spin-Dash was way past cool!"

"That's more like it Manic!" Sonic gave a thumb up to his brother, before clicking his seatbelt on the rocket together. "Ready for launch bro!"

Manic hurriedly stepped a few metres back to get out of the way of the dangerous flames of the rocket fume that was about to appear. "Do it to it Bro!" He replied, giving a return thumbs up.

Sonic grinned with a boyish smile; "Time to juice it!"

Cranking up the ignition gear, Sonic braced himself as the rocket booster furiously fired up into action, already beginning to move forwards a little on the ground as Manic watched closely. Next, the former Prince gripped the joystick for flight control in the middle, before slamming a button marked; 'TAKE OFF'.

KRADOM! The rocket instantly blasted off into the air, with Sonic excitedly yelling; "BINGO BABY!" This left Manic to wave off his brother from the ground in the distance, wishing him good luck on his mission.

 **Several minutes later, close to Miracle Island….**

Very high up in the sky, Sonic could see the island in the distance, almost rushing up to meet him as he got closer. It was shaped like an old brown boot, with the gigantic Never Lake in the middle peacefully reflecting light in its ripples. Now the only issue for Sonic was; how to land safely?

"Woah woah! Easy, easy!" Sonic patted the side of the rocket, as it tilted downwards very badly, with the flames spluttering a little due to altitude problems. Hopefully the wind wasn't going to put it out!

But unfortunately, the rocket had other problems. While Sonic messed about with the speed at different altitudes the closer he got to being above the sea, the lever that controlled the speed level suddenly jammed!

"Wha? Come on, move it!" Sonic panicked, trying to pull the lever back to a lower speed but with no success; the Rocket was going too fast, and heading straight towards the water below!

"Uh oh, woah!" The blue Hedgehog groaned as he pulled the joystick straight towards him to pull the rocket up, but immediately after it performed that precise manoeuvre, it went out of control!

"Bummer mahores!" He cried, jerking the joystick in every direction possible to try and keep it under control. Why couldn't Manic have built this rocket earlier and given it a test flight?

As the Hedgehog swerved about in the air, getting dizzier each loop he made, the seatbelt barely held him on the chair until he returned to the right position. This time however, it was making for a crash landing right on the coast of the island!

Sure enough, Sonic's scream was cut short as the rocket bulldozed onto the grassy ground, getting less damage than its pilot believed it would, but still skidded forwards until eventually stopping near a tree.

"Phew! Next time Manic's gonna in real trouble if he doesn't finish that plane….." The Hedgehog breathed in and out to relieve the tension he'd just been through. Once he finally felt more relaxed and in good shape with a good stretch, he legs once again span into a blurry tornado as he zoomed off, heading towards Never Lake.

 **At Never Lake…..**

"I don't believe it!" Gasped Sonic. There it stood; the Miracle Planet. Hovering above the glistening Never Lake as usual, surrounded by small spike-shaped mountains. But unusually, many things were different about this site. For one, there was a giant chain hooked up to the ground that lead up to the small planet, now encased a gigantic robotic shell signifying a mass amount of Roboticisation had taken place! Also, not only had Robotnik been sadistic enough to carve his own face into the side of the mountain nearest to the giant chain, but now several of his Badniks (including the obligatory Troopers) were marching up the chains alongside several vehicles such as Tanks and Cargo trucks.

Cyrus' reports from the stolen data were right; Robotnik WAS carrying out an operation on Miracle Planet! So now he had to get up there and stop the Dictator's dastardly plan. But how could he get in undetected? As he scanned with a pair of binoculars to see the top of the chain, he could just make out a Trooper checking the identity of every machine entering the planet.

Just then, a light bulb magically clicked in Sonic's head; "Time to bring out an old bird!"

Moments later, the same Trooper the Hedgehog had seen spotted a cloaked bird wearing sunglasses and a large grey beak trotting its way up the chain. It appeared to have mechanical arms and feet, indicating it was a cyborg.

"HALT!" The Trooper ordered to the bird, which promptly walked over to meet the towering Badnik. "STATE YOUR NAME AND POSITION, CITIZEN."

" _Condor Spikes, sir. Cyborg labour worker, enlisted by the Special Badnik Service."_ The cyborg bird replied, handing some identification papers to the Trooper, who checked them for a few seconds.

"LABOUR WORKER? INTERESTING. WE ARE LOW ON LABOUR WORKERS, SO ONE MORE IS GREAT PROGRESS ON ROBOTNIK'S PART. YOU MAY PROCEED." Droned the Trooper, handing back Condor's papers. "ALL HAIL ROBOTNIK! MAY HIS REIGN BE EVERLASTING!"

As the Condor brushed past the saluting Trooper, he barely made a salute himself, muttering under his breath in disgust. In reality, Condor Spikes wasn't a cyborg bird; it was Sonic in disguise!

Perching like a bird, Sonic made his way in his costume to a large gathering of Badniks, who stood upon the landscape of Miracle Planet's Palmtree Panic Zone. Now it was home to a colossal construction side, with oil pouring into the rivers all around next to roboticised tree that were absolutely void of any life. How could Robotnik have done this, and so quickly? It didn't make sense to Sonic at all, but he was determined to get to the bottom of it, and fast. But first, he had to find Amy.

Though as he shoved his way through the crowds of mechanical monstrosities that were gathered in front of a large podium, Sonic's attention was soon caught by a familiar figure hovering above the podium; Robotnik!

The insane Dictator was surrounded by six floating gems that Sonic recognised from Cyrus' briefing as some of the mystical Time Stones, while the Overlander himself glowed like a power-hungry god, just waiting to use the power of the gems as soon as he could, as long he found the seventh and final one.

Out of nowhere then, Robotnik floated back down to the podium, and with an instantly amplified voice made a typically tyrannical speech; "BADNIKS OF MOBIUS! HEAR BEFORE I, THE GREAT DOCTOR IVO ROBOTNIK. WE HAVE TREAD THROUGH MUCH DIFFICULTY TO REACH THE POINT OF TODAY, WITH OUR PLAN ALMOST FINISHED. SOON WITH ALL THE TIME STONES, I SHALL NO LONGER BE A MERE MORTAL. I SHALL BE A GOD OF TIME, SPREADING MY WILL THROUGH HISTORY UNTIL THIS ENTIRE PLANET OBEYS ME. AND YOU ARE TO THANK FOR THAT! YOU FOUND ME THE ENERGY CRYSTALS IN THE FLUDRON MINES, YOU HELPED ME TO CREATE THE ENVIRONMENTAL ROBOTICISERS AND BEST OF ALL YOU, YOU'RE GETTING ME THE TIME STONES! THIS TIME, MOBIUS WILL BOW BEFORE ME!"

Sonic whispered smugly through his fake beak; "Not on my watch Egg-Breath!"

While the rest of the Badniks busied themselves with what Sonic guessed was them heading off to start searching for the last Time Stone, the blue hedgehog wandered away out of sight into a newly completed factory, where the smell of oil was very difficult to ignore.

"Time to ditch this fancy dress." Muttered the former Prince, removing his Condor Spikes disguise and shoving it back into his brown backpack. "If Buttnik's looking for that last Time Stone, I need to find it before his butt-bots do. Juice and jam time!"

And so, Sonic yet again blasted off, flashing through the corridors of the factory..

 **A little later…**

There had been no luck in finding a Time Stone yet, but Sonic still pressed on. He had experience with this sort of thing when searching for Chaos Emeralds on South Island recently, which could only be found by entering a Golden Ring that lead to the Special Zone. So it was more of a case of uncovering that last Golden Ring and then passing the challenge inside the Special Zone to acquire the magical gem. Sonic didn't have any other options, since he had no idea whether the Time Stones were hidden on Miracle Planet itself or a separate dimension from the Special Zone. Either way, he was pretty much searching blind.

But now the ambient sounds of the factory quieted down, as silence filled the numerous floors of the building, travelling right to the pointy ears of the little blue hedgehog, striding around until something caught his attention; the lights had gone out!

Now the Freedom Fighter really was walking blind, and on high alert. Even if he couldn't see much, he still had to press on. But perhaps the Time Stone could wait for a little while longer, for Sonic had the nasty feeling that that he was being watched…

With only the light of his glowing medallion to help him see where he was going, the blue Hedgehog trotted with only the sound of footsteps for him to hear. Why had the lights turned off anyway? Robotnik usually never turned anything off in his factories; they always worked every 24 hours, as they had been doing for years and years, especially in Robotropolis, where some had been running ever since the fateful day he had taken over.

No, it was almost as if it had been done on purpose, just to confuse him. But how could anyone know he was here? He hadn't seen a single security camera anywhere in the corridors. So the only logical explanation was that it was a trap.

THUD.

Alerted by the unexpected sound nearby, Sonic immediately tapped his medallion to transform it into an electric guitar, and swung it straight in the direction of the sound. But there was no one in sight.

So more cautiously, he wandered slowly around, pointing the guitar momentarily in every corner in case anything that he couldn't see attacked him. But even he could not fully prepared in time, for out of darkness leapt a ferocious blue automaton!

Sonic was pinned to the ground, his electric guitar hit so hard that it reverted to its medallion form before the robot began to throw several hard punches. This was no ordinary fighting machine; it was Metal Sonic, a specialised Super Badnik with immense strength and other powerful capabilities designed to enable it to achieve its only goal; _**DESTROY SONIC THE HEDGEHOG**_.

It was absolutely relentless; pounding at its Mobian counterpart like no other Badnik before it had ever done. It used its own electricity to generate strong energy shields to block Sonic's every attempt at spin attacking its chest and to electrocute the blue hedgehog from time to time, it could both fly and hover at the same speed that Sonic could run with its mighty jet engine, it could vaporise sections of the walls and floor that its opponent desperately tried to keep manoeuvring through with its built in laser cannon, plus it even could even outmatch Sonic in judo and karate, though this mostly the fault of Sonic relying on his moves rather than physically trained martial arts.

"ARRRGH!" Screamed the blue Hedgehog, as he was once again injured again by Metal Sonic's electrocution abilities, throwing him out of the corridors and into a larger room with Badnik assembly lines and a mysterious signpost.

Meanwhile, Metal was busy hovering in his direction, readying his laser cannon. " _ **PROBABLE TERMINATION OF SONIC RISING TO 78%.**_ " It droned, with the most common feature of any robot built by Robotnik. No emotion whatsoever.

Sonic felt that he was almost done for; Metal Sonic had him completely outmatched, so trying to defeat him here in such claustrophobic space was suicide! No, he would have to run elsewhere where he could re-gather his strength and have more space to continue their battle.

So then he promptly rocketed into another set of corridors, hoping to find the nearest exit. Though the lights had finally turned back on (likely to make it easier for Metal Sonic to see his opponent), the blue Hedgehog found another obstacle blocking his path…

To his horror, there stood a Robian, shaped just like a certain pink Hedgehog. Its soulless robotic eyes instantly recognised the blue blur, causing it to say; "PRIORITY ONE HEDGEHOG." And so it too charged in his direction!

With no choice but to turn back in the other direction, Sonic zoomed for his life, knowing full well that Metal Sonic was coming straight for him as well! And as soon as the former Prince caught sight of his mechanical double, he winced to brace himself for a presumed painful impact….

But it never came; instead the Hedgehog rocketed right into the signpost he'd seen earlier, which was marked "PAST" and was being powered up by some newly made Badniks. As he touched it, he felt some strange mystical energy surround his body and what even felt like his whole mind. Suddenly, time began to go faster around him, as he barely glimpsed himself bulldozing into Metal Sonic, knocking the robot down before it had the chance to attack the fast moving Mobian. Then, slowly but surely, everything around him appeared to vanish, before completely new scenery appeared in its place…

 **Sometime in the past of Miracle Planet, before Sonic's arrival….**

WHAM! A portal from the future had just opened up, with a glowing blue tornado spinning out of it until the portal closed. Once the tornado stopped spinning, the only shape in its place now was that of a blue Hedgehog; stunned and surprised at what had happened, blinking to recover from the ordeal as he processed the different scenery around him.

One thing for sure, he was still in the factory. There were assembly lines and long corridors stationed all around, and Badnik parts on conveyer belts to boot. But behind him, he could see the signpost, clearly not fully built as the "PAST" sign itself was lying on the floor beside the main post.

"What on Mobius just happened? And why does the factory look different?" Exclaimed Sonic, still very confused. The other strange thing was that there was no sign of either Metal Sonic or the pink hedgehog Robian. So where was he?

He treaded towards the sign, and lifted it up to take a good look at it. As a nasty thought entered his mind, he examined his surroundings again and gasped at the realisation at what he'd done. "Oh man! I must have travelled in time! The first hedgehog in Mobius to travel to the past. Huh."

Just to check his theory, he exited the Wacky Workbench factory and found himself back in the Palmtree Panic Zone where Robotnik in the future had made his speech to several Badniks. Except this time, the Zone was in a much healthier state; no oil in the rivers, all trees were fully organic and there was very little machinery seen among the wildlife. It was just as Miracle Planet was supposed to be. "Now that's more like it! Looks like walrus-chops hasn't taken full control yet. But if I'm stuck in the past now, how am I going to get back?" The Hedgehog wondered aloud.

Then it hit him; "Wait a sec! Of course, the Time Stones! Buttnik hasn't found most of 'em yet. So I'll get 'em before he does!"

 **Later, elsewhere in the Palmtree Panic Zone….**

What luck! As he had been running around the Zone for a while, he'd spotted some golden glows in the distance, presumably from Giant Golden Rings that he needed to find a Time Stone, so he had changed his direction and headed north towards the incomplete Metallic Madness Zone where he hoped to find the Ring.

However, because he was so focused on getting there, he didn't quite see where he was going, and accidentally bumped into someone! "Owww!" Cried the blue Hedgehog, knocked backwards from the impact. He lifted himself up to see who was in front of him; it was Amy Rose! Certainly not roboticised but definitely still an annoyance.

"Sonic! I didn't see you there, sorry about that!" The girl apologised as Sonic rubbed his head, still a little dazed. "You've come at last! I wondered how long it would take you to get here."

"Eh? How'd you know I'd be here?" Asked Sonic.

"My tarot cards predicted it! For some reason that there'd be _two Sonics_ on Miracle Planet if I went there!" Amy joyfully explained. "Though I'm not sure how there could be two of you.."

Though Sonic was about to mention Metal Sonic to her, he instead spoke; "How many times have I told you Amy, get rid of those stupid cards! All they've ever done is cause trouble. They brought you to the Fludron Mines, they made you come on missions unsupervised and now they brought you to the Miracle Planet! It's too dangerous, just throw em away!"

"But Sonic! I can't ignore my destiny. These cards dictate my own future, I have no choice but to follow them!" Amy insisted. Though she liked that Sonic tried to protect her from things, she wanted him to understand where she was coming from with her obsession with the tarot cards. "Look, I'm sorry for sneaking out yesterday. Next time I'll tell you what they say before I do anything, okay?"

But Sonic was already tired and frustrated with her. "Whatever. Come with me!" He muttered, holding her as he sped off to continue searching for the golden ring.

"Where are we going Sonic?" Amy asked, not knowing what her hero's mission was about.

"To find a Time Stone kid!" Sonic solidified, increasing his speed as they reached the Metallic Madness Zone. Like the Wacky Workbench factory, it was incomplete, but still surrounded by Badniks either doing some construction work or searching for Time Stones.

In the meantime, the two Freedom Fighters stealthily hid behind a metal pillar, listening closely once they realised they had company. "Chill! Troopers about. And I think a certain someone's with them.." Whispered Sonic, recognising the voice of Robotnik.

"Eggsellent! Our first Portal Ring! This ought to be our gateway to collecting the first Time Stone. Unit 3059, call in your squad. We need as many Troopers as possible to get us that gem. And don't fail me!" The vile Dictator ordered the two Troopers near him.

"I don't think so Egg-Breath!" Yelled Sonic, speeding around from behind the pillar as Amy and Robotnik both watched him circle straight through the middle of the Golden Ring, and once again being transported into the Special Zone!

"The Hedgehog!" The Overlander snarled, quickly turning to his accompanying Troopers. "Don't just stand there you idiots! GET AFTER HIM!"

 **Somewhere in the Special Zone…..**

With a large dimensional distortion, Sonic yet again found himself in the mysterious realm of the Special Zone, now known by him to be the home of Mobius' mystical gems. Though it was often spoken in legends across Mobius as being a paradise of any Mobian's dreams, in reality it was nothing like that. In fact, the Zone itself was a more a gigantic space that anyone could breathe in, as many weird and wacky objects floated around. The colour of the vacuum of the Zone's "space" was normally yellow, but there always a chance that it would change colour just like the scenery floating about in it. But just like space in the regular world, there were of course some planets and planetoids, such as the one that Sonic the Hedgehog was standing on.

This particular planetoid seemed to be shaped just like a giant futuristic race circuit, just with no balconies of chairs. But there were some rather deep and dangerous looking pools of hot water bubbling about, which to Sonic were the first things he'd avoid jumping into. He couldn't see a Time Stone anywhere, but as he remembered from his adventure on South Island; he had to complete a challenge first to earn a mystical gem.

All of a sudden, upon the Hedgehog taking his first step in the arena, he had to dive for cover as a big UFO zoomed right in his direction, nearly running him over. "Road-hog!" Sonic yelled back at the flying object.

But to his surprise, the entire race circuit seemed to be filled with more strange UFOs, all hovering around in set locations and priming their lasers in case anyone came close. "Wait a second….What if I have to destroy all of them to win the Time Stone? Well it's worth a try. Juice and jam time!"

Blazing through the race circuit, Sonic spin-dashed, spin-attacked and even fired lasers from his Medallion Guitar at the UFOs, watching as they burst into flames and imploded from within before vanishing into thin air. Though their lasers were surprisingly long, Sonic's speed still gave him the advantage, as with one Sonic-Punch he bulldozed one into pieces.

However, the final two UFOs were not going to go down easily; instead of staying in separate locations, they both hovering next to each other, and began swerving all around the race circuit, extending their laser bolts to extreme lengths, which gave Sonic a very difficult time as he narrowly missed being chopped to pieces!

"Woah! Bummer mahores. These bozos are vicious!" He murmured, just before two Troopers also appeared in the Special Zone. "Hey lead-heads! Glad you could join the party. Smashed UFOs anyone?"

The Troopers' only reply was to fire at Sonic in return, prompting him to quip; "Actually, why don't we add smashed Badniks to the meal too? Sounds delish to me!"

With as dumb artificial intelligences as they had, the Troopers fired again at Sonic, just as he also made the UFOs fire at him at the exact same moment; causing both sets of machines to be caught in their own crossfire and explode!

"Hah-hahaha! Take that bolt-brains!" Jeered Sonic, pleased at his handiwork. And so just like before, the final two UFOs vanished into thin air, just as a bright flash emerged from the space of the Zone, and floated down to reveal a glowing Time Stone. This one was a nice see-through red, carved almost like a ruby of sorts. And through it, Sonic somehow saw a vision of Miracle Planet, as shown in its current state in the future. This probably signified that he had to hurry or else Robotnik could enslave it forever! Therefore, as if the Time Stone sensed his thoughts, Sonic was instantly warped back to the Miracle Planet…

 **Back in the Metallic Madness Zone on Miracle Planet….**

The flash of a dimensional warp materialised on Miracle Planet, returning Sonic the Hedgehog to the Metallic Madness Zone. With a sigh of relief, he packed the Time Stone into his backpack; "Phew! Looks like I got myself that Time Stone at last….But I'm still concerned about that robotic double of mine. Last time I remember seeing him was before I travelled here to the past and –"

And then he realised something; "Hang on! This isn't where I entered the Ring! Where's Robotnik and Amy? Unless….Oh no! I've gotta rescue her before she's roboticised! Agh!"

With deep frustration that he had to save Amy yet again, Sonic got on the move; shooting across the landscape of the Zone until he spotted Robotnik and some Troopers surrounding some large Roboticisers, including one where Amy had been wired up to!

"Well, well! If it isn't that blasted rodent again. I presume you found a Time Stone, correct?" The doctor greeted his arch-nemesis.

"Yeah, but you're not getting it lard-belly!" Snapped Sonic with a great face of determination as he readied himself for more Badnik smashing.

Robotnik chuckled; "Very well. Then your friend shall be roboticised! Oh and, Troopers! Destroy the Hedgehog!"

At the very moment that Robotnik pulled the lever to activate the Roboticiser, Sonic burst into action and used his Sonic-Punch to literally pulverise the Troopers, who struggled to aim their machine guns at the fast as lighting blue blur, whizzing about.

"Sonic! Help me!" Amy screamed, just as the Roboticiser began to scan at her body to create the right dimensions for its roboticisation beam. Luckily, Sonic had just finished destroying the Troopers, so he wasted no time in charging towards the portable Roboticiser and smashing a hole in it so he could free Amy.

"GAH! Curse that Hedgehog!" Growled Robotnik, diving for cover as Sonic sped in his direction.

But instead, the blue Hedgehog spotted the group of specialised Roboticisers that were powering up, supposedly ready to roboticise something on a mass scale. Therefore, he turned his gaze onto those machines, and instantly spin attacked right through them all at once like a ferocious hunter catching its prey; all to result in one giant explosion!

"NOOOO! Not the environmental Roboticisers! Grrrrr…Calling all nearby Badniks! GET THE HEDGEHOG!" The vile Dictator then muttered before yelling into his comlink.

Unfortunately for Robotnik it was too late; without noticing, Sonic had activated the powers of the Time Stone as he and Amy made their escape at high speed, yet again blazing through time when their surroundings sped up around them faster and faster as a bright flash pummelled them to another place in time…..

 **Miracle Planet, the present day…**

WHAM! This time Sonic recovered quicker from the time travel shenanigans, a far cry from how bad Amy was feeling all dizzy and confused. As the blue Hedgehog had done earlier, the pair had emerged from a portal in a swirling tornado; this time pink and blue as they were travelling at the same point.

Nevertheless, Sonic was glad to be back in the present; not only had he rescued Amy (she still annoyed him though) but he'd finally found the Time Stone he could use against Robotnik and perhaps his mechanical double too.

"Uhhhh…..Sonic….What happened just now?" Amy asked groggily, as Sonic put her down.

"I think we've travelled back in time Amy, this time with a Time Stone. Way past cool!" Sonic grinned, impressed by the gem's capabilities. From the looks of things, they were still in Palmtree Panic Zone, except this time it was not roboticised and contained less pollution and machinery. It was definitely closer to how it had been in the past and a great improvement from the dystopian future it had been before Sonic altered time.

"Heh, I've even given Miracle Planet a complete makeover! Nice job I must admit." The former Prince cockily spoke, letting Amy recover until she was ready to move on.

Though their escape had been successful, Sonic still had to complete his mission by taking back the rest of the Time Stones that Robotnik in the previous timeline claimed to have collected six of, and banishing the Dictator from Miracle Planet for good.

"But Buttnik's still at large. Where could he be?" Wondered the Hedgehog, before noticing a familiar figure flying in round shaped jet pod. "Well, speak of the devil! Coming Amy?"

Feeling a little better, Amy grabbed onto Sonic's arm and replied; "I'll go wherever you go mister!"

"I hope not…." Sonic muttered under his breath before he raced off into the landscape, zooming after Robotnik as he approached a wasteland of scrap metal and other pieces of junk. Once they had arrived, it seemed that the Overlander had been expecting them!

"Aha, there you spikeball! It's been a long time since I last saw you, so to speak. But I'm afraid you're already too late." Snarled Robotnik, his glowing red eyes hideously gazing at the two Hedgehogs. "Approach, my loyal servant!"

CLANG! Metal Sonic had landed right in front of the Freedom Fighters, looking just as deadly as ever. It seemed that the machine was ready for a rematch from the way it stared at its organic counterpart, almost mocking how powerless he'd been against it in the first fight.

"Not you again!" Growled Sonic, clutching his fists to ready himself for any sudden attack from the robotic menace.

"Of course rodent, you've already met Metal Sonic. He is your superior now, and I must say, from his reports you seem to have met your match, eh? Heh heh…" Robotnik taunted his arch-nemesis. "And as for you my dear, don't think that you're going anywhere this time!"

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Amy was shocked when several Troopers and plenty of other Badniks also landed in front of her. Normally at this point she'd hope that Sonic could take them out quickly, but unfortunately he was already preoccupied with fighting Metal Sonic again, so she was on her own!

KZZZTTT! Metal Sonic slashed at Sonic with electric energy bursts, nearly electrocuting his opponent as their battle got more intense. " _ **YOU CANNOT WIN SONIC. I HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO COUNTERACT YOUR EVERY MOVE.**_ " The machine droned, as Sonic kept on failing to even make a significant piece of damage.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Spat Sonic in return. "That you're cleverer than me?"

But the timing of that remark could not have been worse; Metal Sonic effortlessly grabbed his organic counterpart, slashed at his chest with his metallic hands, then threw him straight to the ground and finally answered his question; " _ **CORRECT.**_ "

However, Sonic wasn't done yet; he surprised Metal by spin attacking the robot before it had the chance to know what had hit it. "Counteract THIS buddy!" Sonic yelled angrily in the midst of his attack.

" _ **AS YOU REQUEST.**_ " Slyly burst Metal Sonic, before Sonic was sent flying by the eruption of Metal's incredibly powerful laser cannon.

" _ **SURRENDER SONIC, AND I WILL MAKE YOUR LAST MOMENTS LESS PAINFUL.**_ " The machine suggested an ultimatum to the currently losing Sonic, who could do nothing for now but run from his opponent, who hovered above with a gigantic ray of sizzling laser channelling at the scrap metal ground very close to the Hedgehog's sneakers.

"I don't think so bolt-brain! You may be stronger than me, but what about speed? Let's juice!" Jeered Sonic, who with a boost vanished into the distance across the enormous wasteland.

But Metal Sonic was prepared for that too; with his jet engine, he literally rocketed straight next to Sonic, who despite his initial surprise seemed rather amused; "Woah. You're pretty quick for a clunky Badnik. For once I'm actually impressed."

With the absolute speed of an ultra-sonic, the two opponents bulldozed into action; they clashed many times across their speedy duel, crashing against each other with their own variations of the spin attack, sonic-punch and even the spin dash after Metal began to copy that move too. There were tremendous increases in speed, even reaching Sonic Boom where they momentarily caused minor earthquakes in the scrap piles around them. It was utter mayhem when the pair would occasionally lash out onto each other, trying to throw themselves off course so they could end the battle quickly. Even that didn't work, however, as by now they'd managed to pretty much outmatch other in most respects.

But perhaps the most chaotic part was when Metal Sonic attempted to take the Time Stone out of Sonic's bag after injuring him with a painful kick in the back. Sonic did his best to recover quickly, causing a big struggle of tug and war to determine who got the Time Stone, even while their fight was making Metal's jet engine spiral both opponents out of control!

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! Time and time again they would accidentally end up in different Zones and time periods in Miracle Planet such as the Collision Chaos Zone and even the Tidal Tempest Zone. Sonic always attempted to try and use the terrain to his advantage as did Metal Sonic, such as when they landed next to a volcano that heated the waters of Tidal Tempest and were able to throw heavy rocks at each other in a brutal brawl. Also, in Collision Chaos Zone, they would bounce off the bumpers and springs multiple times just to get a clear shot at each other with their professional punches and spin attacks.

Suddenly, after countless amounts of brawls in all the locations and times that Time Stone seemed to take them to, the pair next were teleported right into the Special Zone, where Sonic crashed into a containment machine and broke it open, only to be surrounded by the very same six remaining Time Stones that Robotnik's Badniks had found earlier!

"Woah! I feel like I've hit the jackpot." He quipped, before he charged up another boost related attack. "Hey metal-head, get ready for a rocketing lunch!" And so just as if he had broken the time barrier itself, the Hedgehog charged at Metal Sonic, grazing its chest as they blasted back into the wasteland, coincidentally right next to Robotnik in his egg mobile.

"What the- THE TIME STONES!" Yelled the Dictator, firing a laser of his own at Sonic, who dodged it by trampolining off the dazed Metal Sonic's head. "Why you little pest! How did you get the rest of them? They-"

Robotnik was then cut off when the scenery around him began to shake and flicker; morphing into a completely new shape as most of the wasteland suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving only part of the river from Palmtree Panic Zone and areas of wildlife.

"No no NO!" The Dictator nearly screamed, watching as almost two months of his life's work vanished before his eyes. _Operation: Miracle_ had failed, Sonic had completely restored the timeline of Miracle Planet once and for all! "Grrrr! Don't think this is over yet Hedgehog! If I won't control time now then Metal Sonic will take the Time Stones from your dead body! ELIMINATE HIM!"

" _ **AS YOU COMMAND, DR ROBOTNIK.**_ " Complied the mechanical doppelganger of his master's arch-nemesis.

And now the great duel of the two speedy titanic opponents evolved into nothing but a heavy brawl, sending them further away from Robotnik. Their clashes resulted in more than just simple injuries; from all the crashing about there was now smoke coming from wounds and smashed holes.

Meanwhile, Amy had undergone a stroke of luck; in the scrap piles of the remaining bits of the wasteland she'd found a very large hammer stuck in the hand of a disused prototype Badnik, and found it incredibly satisfying to use as a weapon when she smashed Troopers and regular Badniks alike into pieces. But upon finishing off the last one, she hurried over to where the other fight was still happening, and remarkably intervened by hammering Metal Sonic in the head! "Feel my Piko Piko Hammer, you freak!"

" _ **!~{ } ~{####%%%%%!**_ " Metal Sonic spouted out with sounds of robotic failures; his brain circuits had obviously received some slight scrambling from that one attack.

Immediately afterwards, the robot's attacks suddenly became more feral and unpredictable as it pounced like a tiger straight onto its opponent, using nothing but brute force. Together like a storm they both swirled each other into a tornado-like super spin, all the way to the top of the scrap piles of the wasteland.

"SONIC!" Cried Amy as her hero vanished with his mechanical doppelganger into the distance. Not wanting him to get hurt or lost in the battle, she began to chase after the two combatants.

In the midst of their joint super-spin however, neither combatant seemed to be having an easy time; Sonic was sending several hard-blown sonic-punches at Metal, who was now ferociously spamming his laser cannon in every direction he could, only failing to hit Sonic because he was pushing Metal's chest away from him!

" _ ***%%)"$*$)"$(i%*!**_ " Metal Sonic scowled electronically as the pair suddenly landed in a deep pit of scrap metal that was slowly but surely being sucked down into a gigantic garbage crusher.

Now the two recovered from their fall to continue their brutal brawl; but Sonic soon found himself completely outmatched in strength as his attempts to damage Metal Sonic with large pieces of metal failed, resulting in the robot snapping the pieces apart and then using them to wound Sonic again and again!

"URRGH!" Cried the wounded Hedgehog, scarred and struggling to get up when Metal threw him onto a very hard pile of metal girders that were being sucked straight into the crusher….

Ready to finish Sonic the Hedgehog off to complete the main task in his programming, Metal Sonic stepped back a little and directed the majority of his attacking energy right into the laser cannon; powering up the biggest laser he was ever to fire...

Until Sonic thought fast and bulldozed a metal girder right into the heart of Metal's chest, causing a small implosion within that malfunctioned his laser cannon. Going berserk as his half-functioning laser repeatedly failed to turn off, Metal Sonic did not expect the next move when Sonic used all his strength to crash on top of his doppelganger's jet engine!

Having sent his opponent flying all the way up into the air, the former Prince watched with satisfaction as Metal Sonic finally sparked and exploded in mid-air; his remains landed beside each other at the top of a hill of scrap, right where they belonged.

"Termination of metal-head at one-hundred percent, bozo!" Quipped Sonic with a weak smile, as he struggled to make his way up. Though he'd beaten his opponent he was still quite wounded.

"Sonic! Over here!" Called a girl's voice; Amy! She was leaning down from above the pit to see where Sonic was. She held out the end of her hammer for the Hedgehog to hang onto as she slowly pulled him out, relieved that he was alive. "Oh thank goodness! I thought you'd be killed!"

"Heh. Buttnik's never built a single Badnik that can beat me, kid." Breathed Sonic as regained his strength.

"I hope not!" Giggled Amy. "Don't worry Sonic, once we get back to Resistance HQ, I'll tell everyone that only your girlfriend can look after you while you're resting!"

Sonic's jaw almost dropped; "My what?! Amy, you're not my girlfr- LOOK OUT!"

BANG! BANG! Dr Robotnik flew in his egg mobile, blasting at the two Hedgehogs with a look of absolute hatred on his face. His teeth were clicked together, his eyes looked as if they were boiling red hot from their infectious glow; he wasn't happy that his creation had been destroyed! "GAHHH! You'll pay for that rodent! Prepare to die!"

But Sonic wasn't taking any chances in fighting the Overlander; instead he pulled out the Time Stones from his bag and watched as their energy suddenly surrounded him, briefly blinding Robotnik for a while. "Hey egg-breath! With the power of time on Miracle Planet itself, I banish you from here forever!"

"NO!" Robotnik growled as a portal appeared behind him, sucking him and his egg mobile away as he disappeared from Miracle Planet for good. As for the Time Stones, a separate portal materialised, sucking them in as they returned to a hidden dimension to be locked away…

"Wow Sonic! Did you defeat him for good?" Asked Amy excitedly.

"I'm afraid not kid. All I did was prevent him from returning to Miracle Planet ever again. I don't think the Time Stones have much control outside of this place either way. He's back on Mobius now, and he's probably looking for revenge soon enough." Sonic explained, standing tall after he'd healed a bit from his battle with Metal Sonic. "Anywho, I'm outta here!"

As Sonic rocketed off without Amy, heading straight towards the chain that led back down to Miracle Island, he didn't hear the girl shout after him; "HEY! WAIT FOR ME SONIC! DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND!"

All in a day's work for a Freedom Fighter, eh?

 **END OF EPISODE 1.**

* * *

 _REFERENCES_

* Don't remember this happening? We'll see it in another set of chapters, which will take place BEFORE this one.

** This is the base first seen in the classic episode; " **Come Out Wherever You Are"** , and it was last seen in Chapter 3; **Robotnik's Revenge Part 1**.

*** S.A.P – stands for Spiny Annoying Princess

**** See Chapter 7 – Genesis of the Badniks for an overview of the events before Sonic's adventure on South Island.


	17. The Dimension Warriors Part 1

**RETRO DUDE PRESENTS:**

 ** _Sonic Underground: The Continuation_**

 ** _Season 4 Episode 2: The Dimension Warriors (Part 1)_**

" _Our world is a world of darkness and devastation. The one who controls all shall enter into contract with the King, the last of the royal Hedgehogs. Servants of the Dark Contractor have been spread to other worlds, searching for power to feed their master._

 _They created the Guardians of Speedster Island, the Land of the Clouds, they fed off the power of Mobodoon and they even manipulated a Queen into doing the Contractor's evil deeds. Though now the plan has been stalled and the power is weakening, it shall not be permanent._

 _The only ones who stand in the way of the Dark Contractor are the Dimension Warriors whom he sent to our world long ago. But they are his enemies, whom he manipulates like the Queen. He needs them to dispose of another evil in the other world so that he may regain his former omnipotence._

 _The Dimension Warriors, they know not the full truth, but only they stand against the two evils; Dr Ivo Robotnik,_ _and THE DARK CONTRACTOR. The one who claims to have prophesised the end of Robotnik, the one who imprisoned Queen Aleena, the one who was responsible for starting the whole quest of the dimension warriors._

 _The Dimension Warriors, also known as….._ ** _THE SONIC UNDERGROUND_** _…._ "

 **Sky Base Airport, somewhere near Robotropolis….**

And now the time had come. The great and bountiful Robotnik Empire was about to make its first step into a new era of tyranny and mayhem as its influence would yet again spread into new territory with the biggest invasion to occur since the initial mass-scale siege of the Mobian Mainlands and Overlander quadrants that started in 3224 and ended in 3226.

The Special Zone was a unique dimension full of wacky, over-the-top and nonsensical geometry that essentially was just like space in the regular dimension, except with oxygen and many more colours than the cold, empty blackness of space. But with its utterly enormous planets, it made for an ideal location for Robotnik to invade and set up a new city from which he could control the zone and also teleport Badniks to Mobius for further operations against the Resistance groups still rising in the Mainlands.

However, before all that could happen, the vile Dictator's brand new headquarters; the Egg Fortress, was going to be teleported into the Special Zone first. This would allow him to use the base's technology to make an analysis of the Zone so that his invasion plans would be perfected to every last detail. After all, ever since the failure of _**Operation: Miracle**_ , the obese Overlander had no intention of failing this time. Now would be the time for _him_ to win, not his enemies.

So now, sitting upon the top of a large teleportation contraption surrounded by complex scaffolding, the Egg Fortress silently waited for the inevitable moment in which it would vanish from the world in which it had been constructed and into its new home in the Special Zone orbit…..

But everything wasn't expected to go all smoothly; oh no, Robotnik was anticipating retaliation from the Resistance at any moment now, as Troopers and other Badniks alike patrolled the murky exterior of the Sky Base Airport, walking outside the long-abandoned hangars that once housed old warplanes and some of the very first passenger flight jets built by Mobians.

As for the fat man himself, he sat firmly in a cockpit at the top of the Egg Fortress, flicking switches and waiting for the signal from his chief scientist Komanz to engage the primary teleportation engines so that the base could safely warp into the Special Zone.

"Raising level of thermo-tanks to 68%. Komanz, standby to lower the shields for energy re-fill." The Dictator's gruff voice rambled into a microphone from the headset he was wearing. Soon the moment he'd been waiting for would be in his grasp, and he couldn't wait! Excitement wasn't the correct word to describe his current enthusiasm however; it was more of ferocious greediness mixed with impatience, a quality that even surprised Komanz as Robotnik was not known for portraying the qualities of his enemies; specifically the cocky and of course impatient Sonic the Hedgehog.

" _Shields lowered sssssir. Should I re-ssssstabilise the engines for the scheduled launch procedure?_ " Komanz's voice rattled with a typical reptilian hissing noise through the two-way communication line broadcasting into the control cockpit where Robotnik was.

"Affirmative Komanz. But we must not let our guard down; have the engines ready as soon as possible!" The vile Dictator replied, twirling his moustache.

Recently he had acquired himself a brand new dictatorial outfit; one that was more similar to his original one but instead had gloves to hide his robotic hands, no large cape as he normally wore as well as shiny red boots that better supported his feet than his previous black shoes.

In addition, while his current body was much less obese and restricted than his old one, the transformation had some unfortunate side effects, including his hands becoming robotic again and some unfortunate mutations in his spinal cord that made his back ache severely. Though medical robots had suggested for him to simply use his body chamber again to create a more stable body, the Overlander continually refused; claiming that his current body still had plenty of uses before he felt it was time to change it again. Plus, using it in his Egg Fortress for the second-ever use would most certainly cause a problematic drain in energy that would take days to repair. So if he was ever going to change his body again, it would only be possible once he had transferred to the Special Zone.

But these troubles were only to be of great concern for him in the future, so he returned his attention to listening to Komanz reporting in; " _Very well sssssir. I will order the Badniks to ssssstandby and-_ "

BOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Robotnik winced for a moment in his cockpit chair as the explosions coming from the airfield outside caused vibrations that reached his internal robotic ears. Then he regained his focus from the initial surprise and roared into his headset; "KOMANZ! The Resistance's attack has begun! Forget the stabilisation, turn the shields back on!"

"CHARGE!" Yelled Sonic the Hedgehog, leaping out of his hiding place with his own division of Resistance soldiers, scurrying up the aerodrome as they went straight into the offensive with the patrolling Troopers.

And spreading in two separate directions were Manic and Sonia, who both also had their own divisions of Resistance soldiers. Their jobs were either to act as re-enforcements if one division was in trouble, or be the ones to sabotage the teleportation device.

For a struggling Resistance that had only been able to stop Robotnik's key operations rather than weaken his hold on Mobius, the attack was surprisingly well coordinated, thanks to the genius strategical mind of Cyrus Lion, who unfortunately was unable to join the attack as he was trying to track down Metallix Beta, who was still M.I.A.*

In twelve minutes straight, the attack already was making excellent progress; Sonic and his division were shredding their way through the Troopers like they were made of paper, Manic's division had reached halfway up the scaffolding of the teleportation device as expected, and Sonia's division had amazingly taken out the ferocious turret guns that were guarding key parts of the device, saving Manic's life in the process!

"Up, over and gone!" Jeered Sonic, as he spin attacked, sonic-punched and then spin dashed into a Trooper, scattering its sparking remains all over the airport grounds.

He then pulled out some binoculars from his brown backpack and eyed up in the direction of the scaffolding. Noting that everything seemed a-okay with his siblings' separate divisions, he then switched his attention to a rumbling sound somewhere in the sky. With a good, long gaze, he gasped as he saw a familiar red object rushing down to meet them, and then shouted to his division; "TAKE COVER!"

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!

Furious inferno-like spits of laser bolts fired from a laser machine gun cannon splattered around Sonic's division, with some unfortunate Freedom Fighters taking a hit while most were lucky enough to dodge at the last moment. It was Sleet and Dingo's hover-ship!

"Well, well. Look whose back. Come for a re-match, you two roboticised bozos?" Sneered Sonic as he dived for cover from more relentless laser fire.

Soon the hover-ship swooped down for another attempt, spitting more and more lightning-like bolts of laser fire as they pursued Sonic across the battlefield, right near some of the only Troopers who had survived thus far.

"THERE HE IS! DESTROY THE HEDGEHOG!" One of them shouted, pulling around one giant laser cannon to fire at Sonic. However though, as soon as they fired, Sonic leapt sideways as the laser bolt swished right past him. So then it catapulted right into the front of the bounty hunters' hover-shop, severely damaging it enough for it to crash and crumble the Troopers into nothing but scrap metal.

"Ah, sometimes they never learn, do they?" Sonic grinned smugly at the smoking remains of the hover-ship.

CLANG! But Sleet and Dingo weren't done yet; smashing through the door of their wrecked craft, they both lunged into attack, surprising Sonic and knocking him hard on the ground. And in a brutally relentless throw, bruised the Hedgehog as he landed a few metres away on the hard cemented road.

Sonic's retaliation came quick and strong; bulldozing into the pair like he was a bowling bowl.

Sleet slammed to the ground face-first with an electronic scowl; squirming as he suffered a primary circuit failure and temporarily lost all power. Dingo however got up with only a few dents and scratches on his roboticised body.

Unlike most Robians, the two former bounty hunters now composed of silver and grey metallic components, with sizzling blue electronic eyes to complement their intimidating look.

The blue Hedgehog next dived into a frantic fist-fight, but still struggled to create much of an impact on the Robian's tough structure.

But unexpectedly from behind, a few Resistance Soldiers leaped onto Dingo's back, hammering at his head in attempt to distract him from their division leader. So the former Prince quickly got into position; spreading his legs and arms apart before engaging into a powerful spin-dash, almost like a cannon-ball as he impacted with Dingo's chest and ploughed him to the ground hard enough to make him lose all power.

Somewhat exhausted from the brief battle, Sonic slumped to the ground, panting a little as he regained his strength. At the same time, the soldiers who'd helped him rushed to his side. "Are you alright sir?" Asked one of them.

"I'm fine, no biggie." He breathed, getting on his feet again. "Has anything changed with the other divisions?"

"I'm afraid so Sir; your brother's division has been surrounded up at the third level of the device!" Sadly nodded another Soldier.

"What?!" The blue Hedgehog cried, taking out his binoculars again to see that the soldier was indeed correct; he could spy Manic and several other resistance soldiers backing away from Troopers and other Badniks closing in to make a disastrous move.

"Should we head up and help them sir?" Yet another soldier spoke.

"No, not yet. Stay down here. There's still plenty of Troopers coming in from the buildings, we can't just forget about them. No, I'll go up alone; I got plenty of juice for this job." Sonic hurriedly insisted, barely giving time for the soldiers to acknowledge what he'd said before he scrambled his way towards the scaffolding.

Upon getting to the third level, he was able to witness the full extent of Badniks that were attacking Manic's division, and he realised that he couldn't stop all of them in time after all. But what about Sonia's division? Surely they could do so in time for the survivors to head up and make some quick sabotage?

So yet again, he scaled up the scaffolding, using his speed to run up the few block-like walls of machinery poking out from the teleportation device. When Sonia and her division finally came into sight, Sonic was surprised to see that they were _**not**_ going down to help Manic's division, but rather continuing to head up to the top of the teleportation device!

"SONIA! No, stop!" Shouted Sonic, blazing in flash of blue thunder when he rushed to his sister.

Sonia didn't hear him at first, but even once she did, she just ignored him and kept climbing up.

"Sonia, are you crazy?! You're not supposed to be sabotaging the device! Get down there and help Manic!" Sonic ordered furiously, not liking when his comrades (especially his siblings) deviated from the plans that he and Cyrus worked on.

Though one would argue that Sonic did the same thing in other plans that he had a vital part in, this was one time where Sonic knew the seriousness of the situation and wouldn't allow anyone; even him, to go off a tangent and compromise their chances of success.

"SONIA! LISTEN TO ME!" Sonic's anger and tone increased dramatically, enough to make Sonia finally pause and hear him out.

"I am listening Sonic Hedgehog! But we haven't got much time, that Egg Fortress is gonna warp from Mobius any moment now. And I won't let you stop me from making the choice that will help the Resistance win this war! This is our chance to capture Robotnik and put him on trial!" Sonia protested to her brother, clearly believing that this was the best possible option.

"But you're not experienced enough for this! Only Manic can properly sabotage that device, you wouldn't know which components to smash or which wires to tear!" Sonic roared back. His faith from the beginning had been in both of his siblings to do their assigned jobs while he led the main brunt of the offensive.

"Well it's worth a try; and I'm going to take that chance!" Sonia solidified her decision, and then acrobatically leaped high up onto a platform on the next level of the scaffolding.

"SONIA!" Sonic yelled with immense fury; but his words had fallen on death ears. With little options left, the blue Hedgehog turned on his comlink with great frustration and contacted the leader of his division. "Captain, can you hear me? This is Blue Blur, your commander! Come in please, over!"

"Captain Stripes speaking sir. What are your orders? Over." Crackled in the familiar voice of the Sonic Underground's old friend; Stripes. Ever since they'd rescued him from the attack on Lake Valley last year, he'd proven to be a very brave and talented Freedom Fighter, even owing his life to Sonic. So now was the time that former Prince of Moboland could rely on his assistance.

"Listen up Captain, there's been a change of plan. Forget the Troopers on the grounds; get up to level three and defend Honest Thief's division! I'm going up with Jitsu-Hog's division! Over." **

Stripes sounded confused; "But sir, didn't you order us to stay down here because there were still lots o-"

"I KNOW WHAT I SAID!" Snapped Sonic loudly; he really was getting quite agitated. "Just get on with my orders. Over!"

Despite a slight pause with silence from him, Stripes eventually broke it and answered with; "Affirmative Blue Blur, over and out."

Meanwhile in the Egg Fortress, Robotnik could tell that while some of his Troopers had stalled one and division and forced another to help it, the remaining division was still well on its way up. Not too interested in thinking about the more complex details, he gave one firm command to Komanz through his headset; "Komanz, switch on the teleportation device. NOW!"

Immediately the teleportation device sparked into life; fumes of smokes coming from certain areas as it struggled initially to properly use its energy. But soon enough it began functioning as expected, building up the storage of energy needed to teleport the Egg Fortress. If there was one piece of technology that the vile Dictator had succeeded in perfecting, it was the matter transmitters based off the lampposts he had created on the Miracle Planet.

The amount of stress that Mobius' totalitarian leader was under was equal to, if not exceeded by that of his arch-nemesis'. Still displeased with Sonia for disobeying him, he continued to follow her to the top of the scaffolding, until he found her inside one of the numerous maintenance tunnels, attempting sabotage.

"Sonia, don't!" Her brother hissed, before realising that there was an SBS Trooper in the tunnel!

"PRIORITY ONE: HEDGEHOGS! YOU WILL DIE FOR YOUR CRIMES AGAINST THE ROBOTNIK EMPIRE!" The heavily armoured Trooper droned, making a fuming laser bolt erupt from its laser gun.

Though the two Hedgehogs just about managed to dodge the shot, they knew that other SBS Troopers would be nearby, so they escaped upwards through a hatch to reach another tunnel. But alas, there too were SBS Troopers!

And it was no use trying to get through the hatch in this tunnel; for the Badniks had caught onto the possibility of them trying that escape method again!

Relentlessly, the golden-armoured Troopers didn't hesitate to fire, managing not to hit themselves in the process as they were far better trained than their standard counterparts. Therefore Sonia was lucky when Sonic grabbed her and made a quick spin-dash to get them out of the tunnel.

"I told you this was a bad idea Sis!" Growled Sonic, following his sister up onto the roof of the scaffolding where laid the Egg Fortress itself, resting in a hole and making contact with the top of the matter transmitter cannon. "They've probably captured your whole division by now!"

Indeed Sonic was right. Plus, Manic and his comrades were having just as much trouble with other SBS members, preventing them from helping Sonic and Sonia.

"I don't think Manic can help us now. There's only one thing for it!" Sonic informed Sonia, who was trying to contact her second brother, while he touched his medallion.

Out of all of the ways that Hedgehogs fought their opponents, the most unusual one was the magical medallions gifted to them sometime after their birth, presumably by the Oracle of Delphius himself. At first by using the power of joint harmony, they could together transform them into instruments that also acted as weapons. Since they'd been using them for nearly two years now, they rarely thought about how they cope without them.

Upon two of the former royal Hedgehogs placing the palm of their hands on their separate silvery shining medallions; nothing happened.

They tried again, hoping to see the flash of the transformation as they proudly embraced their large instruments; Sonic with his electric guitar, Sonia with her keyboard/accordion and Manic with his drum-kit/necklace drum.

Still nothing.

Confusion turned to frustration as Sonic punched at his medallion, not caring if he was hurting his chest a little; but it was no use, the medallions did not respond and simply hung there as if they were plain old necklaces.

"Come on! WORK! WORK!" Cried Sonic, almost begging at the medallion as if it had a consciousness.

In a way it should've been inevitable that this would happen; the signs that that the medallions were not working properly had emerged ever since a blast from a Trooper during a mission had caused it to fail temporarily. That and the fact that Manic's medallion was recently unable to create tremors anymore.

Eventually both Sonic and Sonia gave up trying to use their medallions, and gulped as they spotted SBS Troopers looming in, ready to fire their laser machine guns at the Freedom Fighters to destroy them once and for all…..

Then suddenly the scaffolding began to shake, as the two Hedgehogs looked behind them to see an energy field surrounding the Egg Fortress, signifying that it was about to teleport!

"The teleporter…." Breathed Sonic, before he shouted into his comlink; "Attention all soldiers, retreat! I repeat, RETREAT!"

It seemed that every Badnik within reach also had the same thing in mind, as they stopped attacking and rushed off to safety, ignoring the Resistance soldiers who soon scattered away in several directions. A few were still on the ground, but most were climbing down the scaffolding in a huge flow of panic. Could they all make it down in time?

At first it seemed so, but that was until Sonic suddenly realised that Manic and some of his division hadn't got to the bottom yet!

"The fool!" Groaned Sonic as he realised what his brother was doing.

In an instant he zoomed back up to the third level where Manic and a few Resistance soldiers were desperately rushing to sabotage the device's core before it could do its work. Not only was it foolish for them to try to do it at a dangerous moment like this, but they clearly weren't doing a good job of it under such pressure anyway, so what was Manic thinking?!

Going faster than ever before to save his brother, Sonic didn't waste time calling out to him and merely pounded hard on the platform, making all of them jump out of their skins and stop what they were doing.

And before Manic could even attempt to protest, Sonic saw the energy field expanding before his very eyes and in an extremely courageous moment; began circling around part of the platform where his comrades were in order to create a powerful tornado to lift them all up. Though it put incredible strain on him, Sonic almost went faster than the speed of the sound as those around were sucked up and tossed into the air.

Just afterwards, the teleportation device completed its work in a ginormous flash as the Egg Fortress vanished in a wave of sparkling energy that exploded and sent Sonic, Manic and the remaining soldiers who were with them, soaring through the air. Though they were only just protected from the blast by the swirling tornado, it eventually dissipated and they were left to perilously free-fall to the ground.

Yet although even Sonic himself didn't quite know how he'd done it, he managed to swoop in with another, yet smaller tornado to safely get everyone to the place where the others were taking cover from the explosion…..

 **5 hours later, back in the secret headquarters of the Roboland Resistance….**

The attack had been a total disaster. As the Resistance recuperated their losses, an atmosphere of slight silence mixed in with occasional groans and yawns filled the main lobby of RHQ, adding to the depression that had been flowing ever since they headed back to Robotropolis.

When he found out about the failure, Cyrus Lion too became somewhat depressed, considering that this was a plan that he and Sonic had worked on for weeks. And now all that effort had gone to nothing.

As for Sonic himself though? The impact of hitting the ground made him pass out for a while, until he fully recovered back at the base. But as he sat in the open doorway of his siblings and his camper van, Manic and Sonia worryingly tried to cheer him up. They apologised for their hasty actions, made him a Chilli Dog and even suggested that he go talk to Tails.

But Sonic just sat there, swinging his legs as he stared at his medallion in frustration. Why hadn't it worked? What was stopping the powerful magic from doing its job? Surely it hadn't reverted back to needing harmony to fuel its energy. What was the explanation?

Eventually Sonic couldn't bear to leave himself and wondered and then stated to his siblings; "That's it. I don't care if anyone thinks I'm just upset, but this has gone too far!"

"Sonic, please just calm down! You're not the only one who wants to know why the medallions aren't working." Pleaded Sonia, not wanting her brother to get into a fit.

"I mean it Sonia, too far! It's like what you told A.R.T; why bother? We're supposed to beating Robotnik, not losing to him." Sonic remarked, folding his arms as he stood tall.

"And I said I learned my lesson Bro. We're all in this together, right?" Manic replied, trying to help Sonia.

And it was then when Sonic's attitude flipped; "That doesn't matter when you think about the whole thing. _The Oracle_ told us that we were prophesised to beat Robotnik. _The Oracle_ told us we'd find Mom. And then he tells us we can take the next step in doing so. And what does he give us? A globe. Just a stupid glass globe! It doesn't tell us anything! We tried to use it to do something, we trusted the Oracle's mumbo-jumbo about believing whatever he told us to believe. But it all came to nothing! You hear me? NOTHING!"

And before his shocked siblings could reply, he spoke one quick sentence; "If he's not gonna tell us the truth now, then I'm off to have a _personal_ word with him!"

And with that, the blue hedgehog zoomed into the front seat of the van, clipped in his seatbelt and blazed off through one of the base's secret exits. His siblings tried chasing after the car as they shouted his name, but soon he had gone.

"And I promise….." The former Prince muttered to himself as he took his bearings and drove in the direction of the nearest coast. "That I'm gonna come back with answers. Whether the Oracle likes it or not!"

 **Sometime afterwards, deep into the plains of the Northern Icecap…**

Quite the chilly continent, the Icecaps were. On maps of Mobius you could never really tell whether the Icecaps were separate or joined together. Some Mobians had tried in the past to cross through one and reach the other, but these expeditions always crumbled down due to the extreme cold.

Nevertheless, both of them had been explored in one way, and the southern one in particular had become good enough to habitable, leaving many Arctic Mobians to make their homes in the mountains, in nice and cosy wooden cabins with a delightfully warm fire. This was of course something they'd picked up from the Overlanders, some of whom also relived the traditions of their long gone ancestors in one way or the other. Quite an interesting topic, the history of Mobius was.

But Sonic the Hedgehog's only concern right now was crossing through the snowy plains towards the Oracle's cave, which lay in front of the luxuriously tall mountains that normally were obscured by frosty clouds.

Unfortunately, a dreadful snowstorm had emerged as soon as he arrived. And even with his winter clothes all ready and set, it remained bitterly cold. Luckily, his determination to confront the Oracle about the truth once and for all somewhat overcame the chilliness. It was as if the snowstorm represented the Oracle (or maybe Robotnik), trying to challenge or prevent him getting to his cave.

Sooner or later though, he made into the misty cavern, the entrance of which was littered with frost and icicles glistening very slightly but still noticeably. The interior of the cavern was just as he remembered from visiting it a year ago; filled with large green sparkling crystals that Sonic noticed his determined look through his reflection, reminding him to keep at the task on hand.

A rocky pit lay in the middle of the cavern, clearly being the same tunnel that he and his siblings had fallen through on one of their previous visits. Taking a deep breath, he rocketed down the walls of the metal tube surrounding the pit, not really knowing how deep he was going until a sudden purple flash engulfed him.

Immediately afterwards, he found himself thrown uncomfortably through the flowing purple portal inside the main den in which the Oracle normally resided. Here he would do all his strange magical work using ancient books, potions and all manner of spells.

Behind some rocky pillars lay an enormous library, which looked as if it hadn't been touched for years. But that was impossible; he'd only been here last year and it didn't look nearly as old as it did now.

What was even more confusing was that there were no candles to light the room. If not for the continuous glow of the portal, then it would probably be one-hundred percent pitch black.

So while Sonic's eyes adjusted to the rest of the darkness, he shouted out at the top of his lungs; "ORACLE! SHOW YOURSELF! I demand you show yourself NOW!"

Though he expected the Oracle to appear as per usual in the strange green crystal (that now as he thought about it reminded him of a Chaos Emerald…) and say something like; ' _Come now young Hedgehog. Patience is a virtue; overcome your anger and then you can tell me why you have come._ ', the only sound he heard was just the echo of his outburst. And this was followed by pure silence.

In this case that silence was not golden; now that he could see a bit more around the room, he noticed how books had fallen from the library shelves, potion bottles had been smashed with glass shards scattered on the floor, the carpet that covered most of the floor was slightly torn, some books were completely ripped apart and most concerning of all; the Oracle of Delphius was nowhere in sight….

"What on Mobius happened here?" The very puzzled blue Hedgehog wondered aloud, examining the strange sights around him. "Looks like something Mondo unfriendly came about."

Though from observation it was easy to tell that there had indeed been a sort of fight or struggle across the room, what wasn't easy was knowing who exactly was involved and why the events had occurred. And since there were no blast marks from a laser or the wreckage of a Badnik, it seemed as if Robotnik wasn't involved in this at all….But if that was the case, where had the Oracle vanished too?

Pondering on, he tiptoed carefully towards one of the ruined books still lying on the table, curious to see if there was anything on interest inside. As he lifted it up and dusted clean the page it was open on, he didn't notice the shadow of a long staff slithering in his direction…..

THWACK! Sonic gasped in pain as someone hit from behind, causing him to drop the book. He felt as if something had cracked in his neck, and quickly drifted away into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, his attacker hovered off, only leaving behind the Hedgehog and the portal; now glowing even brighter than before…

 **At least an hour later….**

When he came to, Sonic's neck and back still pained a bit from the impact, but it didn't take him long to get up. Strangely enough, he wasn't standing on a purple carpet; rather a rocky ground.

In fact everything around him seemed different. Though he was apparently still in the Oracle's cave; the pillars, the scrolls, the potions, the books and the shelves had all vanished. And the only tall things in the room that weren't candles were stalagmites. Plus, there wasn't even a fireplace!

Yet there was light coming from nearby, and it certainly wasn't from the portal. But it did seem to be shining through the archway in which the portal was supposed to be.

His complete bewilderment sparked a stem of curiosity, as he climbed through the archway and found that instead of a large pit there was a narrow cavern leading upwards.

The light was coming from here it seemed; shining warm and bright from the sun as if the snowstorm had stopped. But Sonic didn't see any sign of coldness coming his way, so he removed his winter hat and gloves and next treaded up into the cavern.

Believing he was going to come into the cave of crystals again, the blue Hedgehog was utterly astonished and shocked when instead he saw daylight upon a mist-filled rocky landscape stretching towards the sea. One for thing sure, he wasn't in the Northern Icecap anymore!

"Bummer mahores!" He gulped, thinking that he was marooned on this strange land until to his relief he noticed a boat that had previously been covered by the foggy mist lying by the edge of the sea. Two oars were present, so rowing wouldn't be a problem.

Just as he approached however, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he spotted a Mobian skeleton lying leaned onto the side of the boat. In its hands lay a piece of paper, with some familiar shapes on it. With closer observation, he noticed that it was a map of Mobius. With enough care and respect to not disturb the skeleton too much, he looked at the map to see if its previous owner had marked the location of this strange rocky island.

It turned out that he _**was**_ apparently in the Northern Icecap, except some scribbles on the area indicated something very strange had been happening to Mobius' geography. Arrows and circles were dotted across the map with names of countries, continents and islands that looked as if they'd been moved from their original locations!

"Trust Cyrus to explain this one." Sonic shrugged to himself, not entirely sure how this strange implication was even possible. Besides, he never went to school like Sonia did. His education was kept at his waterfall-side home with his original foster parents until he was 5 years old.

With no other options, he decided that he would have to row his way back to Roboland, since there was no sign of the Camper Van. How could he explain this to his siblings? How long would it take to row all the way back without tiring himself out? Should he move his arms fast to make the oars row the boat faster? So many questions were on his mind by the time he'd gotten in the boat and begun to row, that time seemed to pass much quicker than he'd expected…

 **One long sea trip later…..**

By the time he'd spotted land, Sonic had removed his winter clothes and speedily rowed himself across the sea for a couple of hours.

Lucky to have not starved as he'd recently eaten at least one of the Chili Dogs offered to him back at base, he was surprised to see that the coast of Roboland had an enormous castle wall stretching across the whole perimeter!

And atop it were what appeared to be Mobians in knight armour, stomping about on patrol carrying either a sword or lance, while others tended to the searchlights.

"I don't know if that's even Roboland. But where can I go?" Sighed Sonic, clueless to what had happened to Mobius after he was knocked out. He had no choice but to explore and find out the truth.

Soon he reached the coast, rowing carefully away from the beams of the enormous searchlights. And below a small hill of sand, he hurriedly buried his boat in case the searchlights spotted it. The only potential flaw in that plan was that if he needed to leave "Roboland" via boat later then he'd have to remember that he buried it, and that it was in this specific location. Escape plans; always the tricky bit for adventurers!

Trekking across the beach of the coast (a bit too close to water for his liking!), the blue Hedgehog rigorously searched for some stairs that would lead him up to the walkway above, but all he could find were a few arrow slits poking out of the walls at different points.

Luckily, however, Sonic had kept quite a lot of useful items in his backpack, including a specially made thin grappling hook. With this, he took a great big twirl and swing before tossing the hook up into the closest rather narrow arrow slit. The good thing about this particular grappling hook is that it wasn't too heavy (since it could be taken apart and put back together again) yet remained strong when hooking onto things. A useful tool for Freedom Fighters indeed.

Thankfully, as he climbed slowly up the wall towards the arrow slit, it seemed quiet meaning that there weren't any guards nearby.

Or so he thought. Immediately upon getting a metre towards the arrow slit, a guard inside the wall walked past and then stepped back a few paces to look at the slit.

Luckily, the former Prince had quickly pulled the grappling hook out and with great speed tossed it into another arrow slit a few metres above. And so the guard walked away and continued its patrol.

And once Sonic got to the top he let out a huge sigh of relief; "Phew. That was close."

Yet he wasn't even sure if these Mobian Knights were hostile or not. Could they simply be on his side after all and just trying to ward off invaders such as Robotnik? Perhaps he'd been sent forwards through time and ended up in this strange future. Or perhaps Robotnik conquering the Special Zone had finally allowed him to get the Chaos Emeralds and change the geography of Mobius just as the map Sonic had found showed.

Knowing he'd find out eventually, so the former Prince gazed towards the scenery on the other side of the enormous castle walls; spotting a forest and then quickly spin jumping into the shortest tree.

He then quietly rustled in the leaves of the top of the tree and stealthily slid down to the grassy ground before realising; "I've got a long way to go!"

 **Sometime later, during the early morning of a new day…..**

Refreshed from a quiet jog through the forest, Sonic brushed aside the last couple of swaying branches being blown by wind and covering up the view up ahead where sunlight was the only thing shining through.

But what he didn't expect to see was the town of Fludron! This was the same town that was supposed to have been devastated by Robotnik and exploited for its crystal mines, yet it didn't look so desolate or miserable whatsoever! It was pretty much filled to the brim with activity; food markets signifying it was probably market day, everyday citizens smiling and strolling about for a quick chat with neighbours and friends, and more of those strange Mobian Knights on patrol in their heavy silver armour.

"This got real weird. Real weird." Murmured Sonic.

The town looked as it had come straight from the long-gone Mobian Medieval times that had only been occurring some centuries ago. And though he'd never studied at that strange place called school he did recall at least some of what Sonia had told him about Mobian history (or least the version of history that Robotnik had allowed to be taught) that Moboland certainly didn't have a gigantic castle wall around its coast!

In fact, it never had. From his stroll through the town, the blue Hedgehog was able to confirm that was indeed not a Medieval Mobius that he'd travelled back in time to. The proof? A route sign marked; '38 MILES TO MOBOTROPOLIS'.

Mobotropolis (or rather Robotropolis as everyone knew it now) had only been founded in the 3000s, long after the Mobian Medieval period. So if he was in a Moboland that had an olden days town yet a more modern day metropolis then obviously someone or something _HAD_ changed Mobius in the time that he'd been unconscious in that cave. But how?

"THIS WAY! This way! All export goods to Mobotropolis come this way! This is the last chance for traders to bring their stuff through. Come on!" Called out one of the Knights guarding an exit to the town, whilst reading from a long scroll of old fashioned parchment.

"All exports to Mobotropolis, eh? Sounds like a plan to me!" Grinned Sonic, just as traders nearby starting coming through on their wooden carriages driven by Mobian Horses. ***

Taking his chance, he hurriedly snuck to the back of the last carriage in line and rummaged his way into the sheets covering crates of all sorts of goods to hide himself.

"Alright, last one!" Another Knight stopped the man on the exact carriage that Sonic was in. Once the Knight had checked the man's list of goods, he spoke; "Right, that's fine. Through you go!"

Perfect! Now he was on his way to Mobotropolis, hopefully to find out exactly what was going on. Except he never arrived at Mobotropolis! Instead the carriage stopped a mile or so close to it, and Sonic sighed in frustration as he heard the trader get off the carriage and decide to head into a local tavern for a drink.

Not certain that the trader would come back quick enough, Sonic lifted the sheet up and carefully pulled himself down to the ground without alerting the Horses to his presence. Just as he was about to sneak off however, he heard some loud footsteps and quickly hid by the other side of the carriage as two more Mobian Knights passed by.

"I hear the Great Contraction shall be happening tomorrow!" One of them revealed to his comrade.

"Really? Has the King already come to an agreement with the Contractor himself?! I thought it wouldn't happen for years!" The other Knight exclaimed, nearly dropping his shield.

"Great Contraction?" Whispered Sonic to himself. Was it some sort of giant event where the leader of Moboland made an agreement with someone important? So many questions to be answered, but more and more were arriving.

Once he was certain that the Knights were gone, Sonic tiptoed away from the carriage and onto the main streets, only to see a large landscape of a more contemporary Mobian town with giant rockets poking out of enormous roofs on the buildings!

"Woah! This got serious, big time!" The amazed blue blur gasped at the incredibly tall rockets. Now this was something he _had_ to take a look at!

Using his spin jump to bounce himself from the lowest roofs to the highest roofs, the former Prince reached the launch pad for the enormous rockets, painted silver and red. But unlike Robotnik's creations there was a completely different insignia painted on the side, showing an icon of a vicious looking grey hedgehog with coal black eyes just staring at him as if he were a complete stranger; an alien.

As he explored the other rockets further, he noticed a lot of steam and smoke floating his way, giving him a slight painful cough as he deduced that it was coming from lots of smelly industrial factories.

"Well at least one thing hasn't changed…Cough-cough…." Sonic gave a small smirk, as he was used to the polluted atmosphere of Robotropolis and all the other cities in Roboland.

However, upon approaching the area where the smoke was coming from, a violent blast soared past his neck, scorching some of the paint on the nearest rocket as the blue Hedgehog ducked for cover.

Looking behind to see his attacker, he saw what appeared to a Soldier rushing towards him. But it wasn't just any Mobian; it was a Mouse with orange glasses!

"Trevor?!" Sonic spoke confusedly. "What on Mobius do you think you're doing?!"

BANG! BANG! But the Trevor lookalike only retaliated by returning a few shots from his blaster, forcing Sonic to get on the move.

Swirling around the rooftops, Sonic could hear further gunfire coming his way as the shapes of more Mobian Soldiers came rushing into view. He took a quick turn to the left and leaped back down onto the streets.

Bulldozing through hordes of empty crates and barrels, he reached the industrial area of the town, ignoring the horrid scent in the air as much as he could. To his right was an empty pathway that he hoped would lead him to a safe route, while on his left was an army jeep with two Soldiers driving frantically to cut him off.

RATATATATATATATATATAT! BANG! BANG!

The soldiers didn't stop their relentless assault no matter which direction Sonic buzzed in; some tried to stand in his way and gun him down, others tried throwing explosives his way while one of them even successfully attempted to jump onto his back and slow him down. But one way or the other Sonic the Hedgehog used his wits and fast reactions to overcome these crazed soldiers and their obstacles.

The only problem now was that he didn't have anywhere to go! Everytime he'd thought to have escaped the soldiers he merely reached a dead end by one of the factory walls and was forced to turn back and try again. This went on for about two minutes, and it made Sonic sick.

"This is just nuts! I don't even know where I am and how I'm going to reach Mobotropolis. What is this crazy place!" Sonic growled to himself, getting too stressed from the chase.

Suddenly, as he was dashing back into the main part of the town, he heard a faint but familiar voice calling to him; " **Sonic!** "

"Huh? Who's that?" Sonic instantly grounded to a halt. "Wait, I know that voice!"

Next he sped off in the direction of the familiar voice which came from a different street. But it wasn't any old voice of a friend or comrade that he knew generally well; in fact it was probably the most important voice in his entire life, aside from his own way past cool voice of course.

"Hey, where are you? What's wrong?!" Sonic called out, forgetting that the guards were still coming after him.

" **Sonic, my child. Hurry!** " Echoed the voice, which was definitely reaching straight out to him.

And soon a flash of bright light materialised, next forming into the shape of a person. A tall Mobian to be exact. Though she was illuminated by an ocean blue glow it was easy to recognise her from the dark purple hair and loving black eyes accompanied by that fantastically tailored royal gown….

"Mom?!" Sonic gasped. This was the first time he'd seen her ages, and little did he know that Metallix Beta had also seen Queen Aleena in this apparitional form, quite recently…

" **Sonic, please…..Help me! He's coming after me, I can't hide forever. Help me, I-…...** " The apparition of the Queen spoke to her son with fear, right before she was cut off when a dark and disturbing looking hand grabbed her shoulder and pulsated what looked like an electrocution through her body.

And before she and the rest of the apparition vanished, she gave one horrifying bloodcurdling scream of agony! " **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!** "

And then she was gone.

"Mom!" Cried Sonic, totally confused and shocked. "Mom, what happened? Where are you?!"

BANG! A close-shot from one of the Soldiers snapped him out of his distraction, forcing him to once again get on the move, but unfortunately it was not long before he was caught.

RATATATATATATATAT!

FFTTTT! Out of nowhere a strange dart lunged itself into the blue Hedgehog's neck, paining him for a moment as everything started to get fuzzy….

"Oh man, not again!" The former Prince moaned, dripping into unconsciousness though not before hearing a few words one from the soldiers who'd been chasing him.

"Wait, hold your fire! I've stunned him. Let's not kill him; take him to the King instead. I think he may have a better punishment for this….Saboteur."

 **Slightly later, and in a dark and tall tower…**

In chains and forced to sit grumpily as he awaited the guard's arrival, Sonic looked at his dull and lifeless prison cell as he contemplated his situation.

So he'd seen his mother appear out of nowhere as an apparition, something he'd seen a few times in the early days of his freedom fighting, and once after they'd completed one of the Oracle's tasks. Of course that begged the question; where had she been from her point of view when she appeared like that? And why didn't the Oracle seem to know?

In fact, why was it that most of the times that he and siblings saw their mother was during an adventure that had something to do with the Oracle, unless it was a trick by Robotnik? But wait, what about that time when Manic claimed to have been told about that magic mirror in Worst Castle when he was asleep by a visiting mother? And it couldn't have just been a coincidence that Bellok the Caretaker just so happened to know their mother.

Also, how about the whole shenanigans surrounding the mysterious jewel in their mother's crown, found in Emporium and ended up being a homing device meant to lead Robotnik and his goons into a trap? Why would the Queen of Mobius, who was supposed to have been told a Prophecy by the Oracle of Delphius that she would reunite with her children and defeat Robotnik one day, try to get rid of her enemy before the said prophecy even came true?

Perhaps most frustrating of all; the Oracle had specifically told them that they had to _find_ their mother in order to fulfil the prophecy. With that logic, you'd be under the impression that the Queen had vanished into thin air beyond the sage's own ability to find, or worse she'd been captured and taken prisoner. And yet there were plenty of times on their search that they'd discovered that Aleena had been sighted many times around the globe yet seemed to vanish soon after, just as they were about to find her. It felt as if she was hiding from them, but why?!

Why would the Oracle just lie to them like that? No, their mother too, as she had _appeared to them_ plenty of times and could've told them then!

Sonic grew angrier and angrier the more as he thought about this. But there was one last thing, and probably more important of all that concerned him; there were a few times including the most recent he'd seen earlier when the Queen seem worried and claimed she didn't have much time to speak to them before she would vanish.

And now he was certain that something terrible had happened to his mother! What had made her so scared and soon captured her like that? Had she been running from this mystery creature all this time, becoming so desperate to survive that she tried to bypass the prophecy and take care of Robotnik herself? What could drive her to go so far?

And it was then when it really hit home to Sonic about how little he, Manic and Sonia actually knew about their mother. Who had she been before she became Queen? And why was she Queen anyway when her predecessor was of the Acorn Dynasty? Surely his family wasn't related to the late King Maximillian, right?

Sonic really wanted answers, and he wanted them ASAP-no, he wanted them _NOW._ But who could he ask? None of his relatives who were still alive, not missing or non-Robians could tell him the answers. Not Manic, not Sonia, not his roboticised Uncle Chuck, not his missing and likely captured Mother, and no fath-

Wait. Father. Why hadn't he ever thought about that before? Why not his siblings too? Did they even have a father who was still alive? What could've possibly happened all those years ago, presumably before and during the Great War up until Robotnik's coup d'état?

And then he remembered someone; Metallix Beta. The only person (or rather robot) who claimed to have known and been friends with his Uncle and survived capture by Robotnik. This mystery automaton with a proper real feeling personality who claimed to have come another dimension, who'd saved their lives last year….No matter if he was missing in action, Sonic was determined to once and for all confront him about his past and why they'd been kept in the dark for so long.

Yet all of this thought made Sonic feel so depressed and a little ashamed; what had been thinking by suddenly driving off in the Camper Van and leaving his siblings in the dust? And now he was trapped in a strange and different Mobius to what he knew of. Was it even the same anymore? Probably not; even on the Mobius he knew and had grown up in nothing always stayed the same.

With one quick glance at his non-functioning medallion, he sat tight as a guard finally approached and unlocked the door.

"You will come with me. The King of Moboland shall see you now. You are very fortunate that he has spared his time to talk with you. Should you confess for your crimes and impress him then he may be more lenient! You have been warned. MOVE!" Growled the guard, urging for the blue Hedgehog to get up, who begrudgingly did so.

Manoeuvring down the circular staircase as the guard had a sword pointed at his neck, the former Prince eventually reached the doorway to the King's conference hall. The guard stepped forward and opened the door, nudging his prisoner inside until they were both on the giant carpet that spread across the floor of the room.

Though this wasn't a throne room, there was a throne-like chair sitting at the edge of a desk where the King of Moboland was rigorously scribbling away at an endless supply of parchments, presumably writing letters or making laws to be announced to his subjects.

Only seeing the shine of the golden crown lit by the single candle on the King's desk, Sonic edged closer as the guard watched from behind, soon being accompanied by some Knights who would make sure that the prisoner did not try to escape.

"Your majesty; this is the intruder who was spying on the rockets at the top of the town. He gave no name, but I am sure your greatness can convince him to reveal his secrets." The guard bowed to his leader.

The King looked up from his desk then put down his sharp pencil and shoved the parchments away. Possibly because he was short sighted and so couldn't see Sonic very well, he spoke; "Come closer prisoner."

"What were you doing by the rockets?" The King asked. He was still fairly hidden by the lack of light in the room, apart from the one candle and windows high up in the walls that let some sunlight in.

"I was just exploring. I wasn't trying to sabotage anything!" Sonic insisted.

The King frowned. "That is not an adequate explanation. How could you have gotten up there without assistance….Perhaps from a local Resistance group?"

"A local-Look listen. I don't have a clue what's going on here and I'd like to know what happened to everything. Where's Robotropolis?" Snapped Sonic.

"Robotropolis? I've never heard of such a place, clearly you are trying to stall this interrogation." The King replied, trying hard to look at the blue Hedgehog. "What is your name?"

"My name?! How can anybody on Mobius not know my name?" Sonic shouted, surprised that even had to be asked such a question, especially by somebody in such high authority.

"SILENCE!" Roared the King, slamming his fist on the table. But as soon as his eyes finally focused properly on the Hedgehog, he suddenly looked shocked. "No, it's impossible!"

"Impossible? Look your highness, I'm of royalty too y'know. Surely you've heard of Prince Sonic Hed-" Frowned the blue Hedgehog.

But the King cut him off; "No, it can't be. This is a trick. You're just an imposter! How dare you impersonate my great grandfather!"

"Your great grandfather?!" Gasped Sonic, as he too looked hard at the King; he was a Hedgehog too, with grey fur and black gloves. And though he didn't have any sneakers, he wore hard boots that featured a familiar curved white line at the top.

"I told you to be SILENT!" Roared the King. "You cannot be Prince Sonic of the Hedgehog Dynasty! He is gone…..Slain in the last battle against the enemy…..You are not him!"

"Wait a sec. I was killed in a battle? But that can't be….Hold it, did I have a brother and a sister called Manic and Sonia?" Sonic asked hurriedly, believing he was about to find some key answers.

The King was absolutely furious; "How dare you fool! You cannot insult the memory of my ancestors! I, King Hedgehog the Fourth, believe it is clear now that you ARE an imposter. And a very a poor one at that. How can you claim to be Prince Sonic when you are not even certain that he had siblings! And especially Princess Sonia, who saw her valiant brothers fall in the heap of battle and was forced to become Queen in King Manic's place?"

"So that's it!" Sonic realised, quickly putting two and two together. The clues all added up; "I'm not in the future or the past; I'm in another world! A whole different dimension, just like before!"

"I said SILENCE! Guards, take him away!" The King's temper reached a record high.

The former Prince was quick to protest; "Hey w-wait! I'm not an imposter, you've got it all wrong! I am Sonic, I've just come from a-"

"Lies, all lies. And take him to the arena! The only suitable punishment for him is Trial by Combat! If he really is my great grandfather, then he should find this an easy challenge. If not, then he shall pay for his insolence…." The King growled at his Guards as they pulled Sonic out of the room. And so the King grabbed his pencil and parchment again, continuing to scribble away as he done before…

 **Soon, in the arena…..**

The crowd was surprisingly big, but it was your typical colosseum taking from the designs of Ancient Mobian arenas. Expect one thing was different; there was a metal floor that was connected to the rest to the building. It was unusual as you'd normally expect sandy ground to be running around as you faced your opponent.

Sonic was not in the best of moods however, even if the floor was comfortable to walk on; "Typical. I'm used to saving Manic and Sonia from this sorta thing. But nope, nobody's juicing to my rescue now. I've got nobody to rely on! Still though, I could make a new reputation here, even if I'm supposed to be and imposter to these bozos. And that's way uncool."

Unlike Manic and Sonia when they were in a different alternate dimension, Sonic had been given a simple metal sword instead of a lance. And one thing for sure, he probably wouldn't be facing some hungry Lions, not with a sword that would give him a fairer chance to defeat them.

Eventually, the King, sat upon a small throne in one of the podiums gave one quick order; "Release the Dragon!"

"Gulp. A Dragon? No prob….I can handle a dragon!" Sonic stuttered a little, holding up his sword in front of him.

Bursting from the darkness of a tunnel leading back into a cave in which the monster lived in, approached a ferocious, green-scaled reptile. It was so long and vicious that it was easy to tell why the arena was so big; in order to compensate for the potential danger to the crowd itself!

The creature had an impressive wingspan, complementing its long body and spiky tail. And it even had demonic looking horns with all manner of cracks likely from its previous battles with prisoners sentenced to trial by combat. Yet the most intimidating feature of the creature was not the talons on its feet but rather its blood-red eyes plunging with hatred right at the blue Hedgehog. How could one beat a fearsome monstrosity such as this with nothing but a sword?

"Woah!" Cried Sonic, as the dragon immediately let out a vacuum of inferno from its mouth, sizzling on the metal floor as its prey flipped to the side to avoid being burned to a crisp.

Though the dragon was tied by a chain on its body, it still had plenty of room to move around and chase Sonic, who tried swinging his sword at it, only to be met with a near slice from one of the monster's front claws that caused him to drop the sword.

Fearsome as the beast was however, Sonic wasn't ready to give up; "Boy, I don't look like the look this. Time for a super-spin!"

Similar to what he'd done back at the Sky Base Airport, the former Prince span his body round and round at an incredible speed until it formed a tornado. Then he edged himself in the direction of the dragon, hoping to pick it up in the tornado.

Unfortunately, the dragon spat more inferno at him, turning the tornado in a red-hot one, causing Sonic to yelp in pain and stop spinning before the heat caused any major burns on his body.

"Owwww! Alright, alright I can take a hint! If that doesn't work, then how about this!" Growled Sonic, getting up again to first dodge some more swipes from the Dragon's claws and secondly to run around it in circles to try and instead form a tornado around _it_.

But this didn't do any good either! The winged reptile simply used its rapid wings to disperse the wind of the tornado away from it, finally turning its sights back to Sonic, who gulped as it relentlessly lunged in his direction, trying to bite him!

"Oh boy, that just ain't fair at all!" For quite a while then, Sonic could do nothing but dodge the dragon's every attempt to either injure or devourer him.

He would roll across the metal floor, occasionally get enough time to get himself up and run away, only to be met with the stomping crash of a claw blocking his path and ready to swipe at him!

Even when he recovered his sword and in a brave attempt tried to pierce the dragon's skin, he just couldn't manage to make a mark in time, as he was either forced to escape more fire or was unluckily blocked by the dragon's tail or claws.

"Man, this guy's got a temper like no other! Gulp.….Woah!" He exclaimed and dodged another swipe.

Now leaning against the edge of the arena wall with only his sword to protect him as the Dragon got closer, he realised something he hadn't about the dragon before.

"H-hey! You look familiar, past cool dragon. Have we met before?" Sonic cheerfully tried to communicate with the dragon, before sidestepping away from another bite attempt, one which was actually strong enough to smash a hole through the wall of the arena.

"Guess not." But Sonic would immediately contradict this judgement after he remembered something Sonia had once said to him 2 years ago that proved that he had seen the dragon before in some form or another; " _I think it's an air elemental. It's a creature of the air. If it touches the earth, it will be destroyed!_ "

Of course! In every detail, it looked EXACTLY like the green dragon they'd faced in one of their training sessions created by Thelonious in The Land of the Clouds (now sadly destroyed).

"Bingo! I've got you now scale-breath!" The Hedgehog jeered, he'd figured it out; the floor of the arena and the dragon's den was metal in order to stop it touching a part of the Earth. So if somehow he could get it out of the arena and then force it onto the natural ground, then he could win!

As soon as Sonic began rushing around the arena to further agitate the dragon, it made a huge charge at him, enough to both snap its own restraining chain in half and knock a head-shaped hole straight through the arena, surprising both the crowd and the King.

"No, no! You can't do that, it's cheating!" King Hedgehog IV snapped, banging his black gloved hand on the side of his throne.

Taking the immediate opportunity, Sonic spin-dashed like a buzzing saw through the hole the dragon had just made, and climbed onto the nearest rooftop.

In retaliation, the Dragon roared and with a big swoosh; flew itself out of the arena much to King Hedgehog's irritation. "GUARDS! Stop the prisoner! After him!"

Still holding his sword once he reached the roof of the tallest building in the town, Sonic immediately swiped at the dragon when it flew in his direction.

Scowling in pain when its claw received a decently sized cut, the creature spat a fireball at its prey rather than merely breathing a column of fire as it had done before.

Still not discouraged even when Sonic merely rolled to the side to avoid it, the dragon resorted to flying over while blasting more fireballs and taking a series quick swoops to either bite or claw at the little blue Hedgehog.

Sonic kept on fighting valiantly; he may not have used a sword like this often but his Freedom Fighter training was certainly paying off. Even so, he just couldn't get a clear shot at the creature since he was too busy being on the defence!

"Arrgh! Stay still, scale-breath!" Sonic growled.

Eventually the dragon paused for a moment, then flew straight up into the sky; so high that Sonic could barely make out the tiny little speck of the creature. Then to his surprise, after getting to a distance, the dragon immediately glided incredibly fast in his direction and caught him off guard!

"Ooofff!" He cried, dropping his sword and hearing it crash on the edge of the roof while he was thrown hard onto his back.

Now the titanic monstrosity used its masterful strength to stand up on two legs and stomp closer and closer to its injured prey, who kept double-taking between the sight of the dragon approaching and his sword slowly tilting off the side of the roof from all the vibrations…..

What could he do?! He couldn't stop the dragon like this; even if he got the sword and tried attacking it from here, it would easily counteract that move and take him back to square one. Or worse, kill him!

It seems the most unexpected choices of all come in a split-second.

With the quick spinning of his legs as if he were running right-up, the former Prince was able to push himself right up to the edge of the roof where the sword was just about to fall off, catch it in the nick of time, then perform a painful backflip and then a large jump that catapulted him right behind the dragon.

And so not wasting any time, Sonic threw his sword like an arrow into the startled dragon's back. Finally, following its hideous screech, the creature found itself being knocked over before it could fall onto its chest.

Dramatically, it toppled down the narrow parts of the rest of the building until it found the ground excitedly rushing up to meet it. And then? Nothing; there was no dragon anymore, just a complete crackle of hot smoke that dissipated in a few seconds.

"Phew. I guess school taught Sonia something useful after all." The Hedgehog quipped, spotting the remains of his sword on the ground of the town below.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, PRISONER!" Uh oh, the guards had caught up to him! A quick swivel to the other direction confirmed this unfortunate truth; King Hedgehog IV's guards were not holding swords or lances but instead some traditional laser guns.

"Hey I won, didn't I?" Sonic smiled innocently.

"Silence! The King never expected you to win in the first place, you should know. And since you have made him look like a fool by escaping the arena, he orders that you be executed immediately!" Growled the head guard in returned.

"But I-!" The blue Hedgehog was about to protest.

"Enough! Guards, prepare to fire!" The head guard cut him off, allowing for his troops to surrounded the prisoner, their fingers already placed firmly on the triggers of their weapons.

Sonic could once wince before he heard one weapon very close by fire off.

BANG!

 **END OF EPISODE 2.**

* * *

 _REFERENCES_

* _M.I.A – Stands for "Missing in action_ ".

** _'Blue Blur', 'Honest Thief' and 'Jitsu-Hog'. Codes name for each member of the Sonic Underground when on important missions._

*** _It was common for Mobian Horses in the early days of Mobian history to pull carriages. Believe it or not, it was an actual paid for job in Medieval Mobius._


End file.
